What Comes First
by Sheva Redfield
Summary: Sheva Alomar is a single mom trying to adapt to her new life after a painful divorce. She moved to LA in hopes of starting over with her daughter. She wasn't looking for a relationship. Her daughter is her main priority. Any man would just complicate things, they were all the same. But she meets someone who changes her whole view of things and it scares her to no end. DISCONTINUED
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey Guys! I'm back with my next story 'What Comes First'. First I would like to thank my friend MidnightWriter6 for coming up with this title and being really supportive! Go check her out on Wattpad! I hope you guys enjoy this new story and don't forget to tell me what you think!

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"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now landing at the Los Angeles International Airport. Welcome to California! Please remain seated with your seatbelts fastened until the plane comes to a complete stop. The current time is 10:05am and the weather right now is 86°F with a 5% chance of rain. Thank you for riding with us and we hope to see you again soon." A female voice came out of the speakers on the large plane.

"Finally…" Sheva Alomar sighed. This was the longest flight of her life. The first time she came to America from Africa the flight didn't seem so long but this time it felt like years to her. Maybe it seemed shorter the first time because she wasn't traveling with a 4 year old.

Sheva looked to her right to see her daughter's sleeping figure covered to her neck in a soft pink blanket. Her hair was covering her face so she couldn't see her facial expression. Sheva always loved her daughter's hair; it went down to her mid back and reminded her of her own hair when she was her age.

Sheva sighed once again as she looked at her daughter, it took her forever to fall asleep. She would probably be cranky when Sheva woke her up because she only got about 20 minutes of sleep.

'Oh well…' Sheva thought, it wouldn't be much of a difference of the way she was acting before. Sheva gently pushed the dark brown strands of hair out her sleeping daughter's face and tucked it behind her ear. She then shook her shoulder causing her to adjust herself a bit but then to relax and go back to sleep.

"Come on Ayanna, it's time to wake up. We are landing." Sheva told her as she shook her once again.

Ayanna whined as she rubbed her eyes then yawned and stretched in her seat.

"I don't want to get up yet. I'm still sleepy…" She complained as she sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"I tried to get you to go to sleep earlier but you didn't want to. I promise you will be able to go back to sleep soon, ok? I just need you to get up because I won't be able to carry you this time." Sheva told her as she tried to smooth down the messy hair on her daughter's head.

"Ok…" Ayanna quietly agreed.

"Thank you for being a big girl for me."

"You're welcome!" Ayanna smiled.

The plane landed and finally came to a stop. The flight attendant made the announcement that it was ok to get things from the overhead cabinets and start heading out. Sheva stood up and got her and Ayanna's things out of the overhead. She handed Ayanna her backpack, slung her own bag over her shoulder, folded the blanket Ayanna used and neatly placed it in her bag. Sheva grabbed her daughter's hand in her own and led her out into the isle when she had the chance and they exited the plane and walked out into the terminal.

"Where do we go now mommy?" Ayanna asked as she tugged on her mother's hand.

"I'm looking for the person we are going to be staying with until our things get here from Africa." Sheva told her as she pushed past the crowd of people. Before Sheva could start looking, she felt someone tap her shoulder. She turned around to look to see who it was.

"Claire!" Sheva gasped and wrapped her arms around her best friend.

"Hey Sheva, it's been forever!" Claire told her excitedly as she returned the hug. "You look great!" Claire complimented her as they let go of each other.

"Me? Look at you!" Sheva told her with a smile.

"Mommy, who is she?" Ayanna asked as she pulled on her mother's skirt.

"Well you were a baby when you met her so you don't remember. This is Mrs. Claire." Sheva told her nervous child.

"Ohhh. Hi Mrs. Claire!" Ayanna greeted with a shy wave.

"Hi sweetie! You have gotten so big! How old are you now?" Claire asked her as she crouched to be on her level.

"I'm 4 and a half!" Ayanna told her excitedly as she held up her hand. Whenever she told someone her age she always got excited because she was such proud child and that was one thing Sheva was grateful for.

"Oooh, such a big girl!" Claire complimented her.

"I know!" Ayanna smiled. Both the women laughed at her then Claire stood up.

"Shall we go get your bags and make our way to my place?" Claire asked.

"Lead the way." Sheva told her. The three girls made it to baggage claim and picked up their luggage. Then they were on their way to Claire's truck to go to her house.

"Do you want to stop and pick something up or do you want to eat out tonight?" Claire asked once the three girls were in the truck.

"I want to eat out!" Ayanna yelled from the backseat.

"You always want to eat out, that's why you are getting so chubby!" Sheva told her daughter jokingly and then told Claire "Whichever you want to do we will be okay with."

"I think we should eat out. There is this really nice barbeque place Leon and I like to go to."

"That sounds great!" Sheva told her.

"Yay!" Ayanna said quietly as she softly clapped her hands. Sheva just smiled at her and so did Claire.

The rest of the car ride to Claire's place, the two girls talked about what has been going on the past few years while Ayanna was taking a nap.

"How is Ayanna dealing with the whole divorce thing?" Claire asked, she knew that Sheva and Ayanna's father, were no longer together and that's why she moved to North America.

"She's actually taking it well. When we first sat her down and talked about it she cried a lot, but now she dealing with it a lot better. He said he would call her EVERY night and we made a Skype so they could see each other. It just kills me to have her go through this at such a young age." Sheva sighed.

"Well just so you know; you're doing a great job." Claire told her with a pat on the shoulder.

"Thanks Claire. I try…" Sheva told her with a small smile.

They finally arrived at the house and Sheva picked up the sleeping Ayanna and followed Claire to the front door.

Claire unlocked the door and Leon stood up from the couch, walking towards the three with a large smile on his face.

"Hey Sheva, it's been a while…" he told Sheva as he gave her a hug, being mindful of the sleeping child in her arms. The hug ended and Leon looked at Ayanna.

"Hasn't she gotten big?" Sheva asked with a light chuckle.

"She has… Wow, it's hard to believe…" Leon agreed.

"Yeah, they grow up so fast…"

"Do you want to see the room you will be staying in?" Claire asked.

"Yes please," Sheva responded. Sheva followed Claire down the hall and she showed her the room that she and Ayanna would be sleeping in.

It was fairly large and had a light blue theme to it. There was a large bed in the middle and a nightstand that had a small lamp on it on each side. On the left wall there was an empty closet except for a few hangers in it.

"Sorry it couldn't be bigger…" Claire apologized.

"Claire, this is more than enough, thank you."

"No problem, you can go ahead and lay Ayanna down and Leon and I will get the luggage." Claire told her and left the room.

Sheva pulled back the covers and gently laid her daughter in the large bed. Sheva took off her pink sandals then paused for a second and thought if she would change her into her pajamas but remembered they were supposed to be going out to eat. She decided to let her take a nap in her clothes and pulled the blanket over her daughter's relaxed body up to her chin. As she did, she studied her face. She looked adorable and peaceful but that reminded Sheva of someone she wanted to but couldn't forget. Ayanna looked just like her father. She had his nose and most definitely his lips, her skin was a tad bit darker than Sheva's and she had the cutest cheecks that Sheva couldn't help but squeeze sometimes.

Sheva stared at her daughter and sighed, she was so grateful she had such a beautiful and amazing daughter to call hers. She kissed her on the forehead before walking out of the room.

Sheva went down the hallway, through the living room to the front door. She opened it to see Claire and Leon walking towards her with the luggage in their hands. Sheva opened the door wide enough for them to come in and closed it behind them. The two carried the luggage to the guest room and quietly put it in the closet then left the room.

The three adults met in the living room and talked for 4 hours about what happened over the last 4 and a half years. Sheva was so caught up in the conversation; she forgot her daughter was still taking a nap. Ayanna usually took naps for 3 hours so she should have been awake by now.

"I will be right back, I'm gonna go check on Ayanna." Sheva excused herself and went to the guest room. She quietly opened the door and looked on the bed. Ayanna was sprawled across the middle of the bed, taking almost all of it up.

Sheva quietly chuckled at her wild child. Then she remembered she would be sharing a bed with that child.

' _This is going to be a pain… literally.'_ Sheva thought as she took a seat on the side of the bed by her daughter's side. Ayanna must have noticed her weight on the bed and opened her large hazel eyes to look up at her mother.

"Did you have a good nap, baby girl?" Sheva asked once she saw she was awake. Ayanna rubbed her eyes and nodded. She let out a small yawn as she sat up and stared at Sheva.

"What?" Sheva asked with a smile.

"I'm hungry; can I have some fruit snacks please?" Ayanna asked.

"You can have some fruit snacks but only one pack. We are going to go eat in a minute." Sheva told her as she stood up and grabbed a fruit snack packet then handed it to Ayanna.

"Don't eat that in here, follow me." Sheva told her and she offered her hand to her. Ayanna took it and walked out with her mother to the living room.

"Hey sleeping beauty! How was your nap?" Claire asked once they came into view.

"It was good." Ayanna told her as she blushed at the compliment. "But now I'm hungry…" Ayanna added.

"Oh I'm sorry! I totally forgot! Are you guys ready to go eat?" Claire asked.

"We would love that!" Sheva told her, and then she looked Ayanna who was struggling to open the fruit snacks. Sheva took them away from her and opened the package then gave them back to her and she happily ate them.

"You know you just completely ignored me, Ayanna." Leon said as he stood up and began making his way to her.

"Are you Mrs. Claire's husband?" Ayanna asked curiously,

"Yes I am, just call me Mr. Leon." He told her as he crouched to her level.

"Ok!" Ayanna said as she popped two fruit snacks into her mouth.

"Can I have one?" Leon asked as he pointed to the almost empty packet. Ayanna nodded and handed a fruit snack to Leon, who took it with a thank you and popped it into his mouth.

"Yummy!" He said as he rubbed his stomach. Ayanna giggled at this and handed him another one and Leon gratefully took it. She then ate the last one in the packet and ran to the trashcan to throw it away.

"Ok, everybody to the car!" Claire said as she grabbed the keys then handed them to Leon. Everybody left the house and Leon locked the door then they all got into the car.

"Alright, let's go eat!" Leon said as he started the engine and began to drive.

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So there you go, the first chapter to my new story! It's a family thing and I hope there is someone out there who would like to read it. Hope you enjoyed and review to tell me what you think. Next chapter is up!

~Sheva Redfield


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Here is the next chapter, I hope you enjoy!

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the children's books mentioned in this chapter!**

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They made it to the slightly packed steak house and Leon parked the car then they all got out. They made their way across the parking lot and into the building. About five minutes later they were seated at a table, ordering their drinks.

Sheva and Ayanna got some sprite, Claire got coke and Leon got a root beer. After they ordered, they looked through the menu to see what they wanted to eat. Their drinks came minutes later.

"So what are you getting, Sheva?" Claire asked as took a sip of her coke.

"I think I will just get the baby back ribs…" Sheva decided as she closed the menu and laid it on the table. "Good choice." Claire told her.

"Do you know what you want, Ayanna?" Sheva asked as she looked to the side at her daughter that was concentrating on coloring the pictures she got in her kids menu.

"Can I get what you're getting?" Ayanna asked as she stopped coloring and grabbed her mother's menu.

"No, get something off of the kids menu." Sheva told her as she took her menu back and grabbed Ayanna's and the two began to look through it together. After a minute of looking Ayanna agreed to get boneless barbeque chicken. Claire and Leon decided what they wanted to get and Claire called over someone. They ordered their food and were told it would be coming in a minute.

The adults chatted amongst themselves and Ayanna was back to coloring again as they waited for their food.

"So what are your plans for tomorrow?" Sheva asked Claire, who took a moment to think then replied "Nothing for now."

"Are you forgetting something Claire?" Leon asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I'm pretty sure we don't have plans tomorrow."

"What about your brother?"

"What about him?"

"Wow, I can't believe you forgot…" Leon sighed.

"For goodness sakes just tell me what it is Leon, your starting to bug me!" Claire told her husband.

"You forgot about Chris' barbeque." Leon finally told her.

"Oh my gosh, your right! Sheva we actually do have plans. My brother Chris invited us and some of our friends to his house for a barbeque."

"Oh that's fine, I'll just take Ayanna out somewhere while you guys are gone," Sheva told her and she smoothed down the hair on her daughter's head.

"Don't be crazy, you can come with us. My brother probably won't mind."

"I don't want to invade and what about Ayanna? I don't feel comfortable leaving her just anywhere either."

"She can come too, he has a pool in his back yard if she likes to swim, and I promise my brother won't mind." Claire assured her. Sheva said in silence deciding if she rather go or not. 'It would be a chance for me to make friends…' Sheva thought then made her decision.

"Fine, we'll go." Sheva sighed.

"Yay!" Claire cheered as she clapped her hands together. Just then their food arrived and they began to dig in. They all ate and happily talked until everyone was done. They split the bill because Sheva felt it was wrong to let them pay it all.

"Hey Leon, is it ok if we make a quick stop somewhere I can buy some swimsuits? I didn't bring any for us." Sheva asked once they got in the truck.

"Of course we can." Leon told her as he started the engine and backed out of the parking spot.

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They arrived at the store about 7 minutes later. Leon wanted to stay in the car and let the girls shop so the three girls went in and headed towards the swimwear for little girls.

"Ok Ayanna, you can pick out a 1 piece swimsuit off of this rack." Sheva informed her. Ayanna walked over to the circular rack of swimsuits and started browsing through them. After a few seconds she pulled out a blue swimsuit with purple polka dots and a purple ruffle all the way around the waist.

"I like this one!" Ayanna told her mother as she handed it to her.

"That is kinda cute." Claire observed.

"Yeah, are you sure this is the one you want?" Sheva asked while looking at her daughter. Ayanna nodded her head quickly with a large smile on her face.

"Alright, now I need to find something…" Sheva said to herself. She handed Ayanna her swimsuit and grabbed her hand.

"Where are the swimsuits for adults, Claire?" She asked.

"Over here." Claire told her as she motioned for them to follow her. They made it to the adults section and Sheva automatically found the women's swimsuits.

"Are you gonna get a one piece too mommy?" Ayanna questioned as she pulled on her mother's hand. Sheva nodded her head and looked through the swimsuits along with Claire.

"I might just find myself something new too." Claire joked then held up a swimsuit. "I think this would look good on you."

Sheva looked over at Claire to see her holding up a plain black one piece swimsuit with white designs and a small V neck that had straps that tied around the neck and had the back out.

"That's cute, what do you think Ayanna?" Sheva asked.

"You would look beautiful in it!" Ayanna replied.

"Aw, thank you baby girl." Sheva thanked her and gave her a big kiss. She just giggled and swayed from side to side. Both the women laughed at her.

"She is just too cute!" Claire told Sheva.

"Thank you. I'll just get that swimsuit then we can get some floaties and goggles for her then we can go. Leon is probably bored to death in the car."

"Oh he's fine; I leave him in the car all of the time." Claire joked. The 3 girls went to get the other things they needed for the pool and barbeque tomorrow, bought them, and headed back to the house.

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Once they got back to the house Claire and Leon went to the living room to watch television and Sheva took Ayanna to the bathroom to get her bathed and ready for bed. It took a bit longer then Sheva hoped to get Ayanna bathed because she didn't have her tub toys to distract her as she washed her hair. But she got the job done, got her out of the tub and got her dressed for bed. Then they both went back to the bathroom and brushed their teeth then they went to the bedroom they were sharing and Sheva did Ayanna's hair.

"Are you going to read a story with me tonight mommy?" Ayanna asked as she got her wet hair pulled back into a couple of braids.

"Yeah, do you know what story you want to read?"

"No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed!" She told her excitedly. That was one of her favorite stories to read.

"Ok, is it in your backpack?"

"No… I thought you had it."

"I might have packed it up then, what stories do you have in your backpack? I know I put a few in there." Sheva told her. Ayanna crossed her arms and didn't respond. When Sheva looked down at her face she saw a few fresh tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Why are you crying?" Sheva asked with a sigh. Ayanna always pouted and cried when she didn't get what she wanted and Sheva thought she was getting too old for it.

"Because you didn't bring my book…" Ayanna cried out.

"We can read something else for once; it's not going to kill you."

"I want to read that story though!" Ayanna told her as she stomped her foot.

"I'm not going to read to you tonight if you want to act like that. You know better than to do that. After I'm done with your hair I want you to lie down and go to bed. Understood?" Sheva scolded her. Ayanna just cried louder as Sheva finished her hair.

"Now go lay down." Sheva told her once she was done. Ayanna kept crying but obeyed her mother. She ran over to the large bed and got under the covers then buried her face in the blue pillow still crying.

"Goodnight Ayanna." Sheva told her as she bent down and gave her a kiss on the forehead. She didn't respond but her crying slowed to small sobs. Sheva turned on the lamp on the nightstand, and left the room, closing the door behind her.

She walked out into the living room where Leon sat with his arm around Claire. She missed when she had someone to do that to her.

"Is everything ok? We heard Ayanna crying." Leon asked.

"Oh everything is fine; she was just upset I wouldn't read a story to her. She will just sleep it off. I just came to say goodnight to you guys. I need to get some sleep and make sure Ayanna does too. And thank you again for letting us stay with you until we get situated."

"Oh no problem Shev, sleep well and come get us if you need anything. Goodnight." Claire told her with a smile. Sheva walked back to the room and opened the door slowly.

"Mommy?" Ayanna called as she sat in the bed and rubbed her eyes.

"Yes sweetie?"

"If I stop crying and be good, will you read a story with me?" she asked.

"Yes I will. Do you know what stories you brought with you?" Sheva asked as she went to get Ayanna's backpack.

"I don't remember any."

Sheva reached into her backpack full of dolls, stuffed animals, and books and pulled out a random one.

"How about 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar?'" Sheva asked as she showed her the book. Ayanna reached over and grabbed it with a nod of her head.

Sheva crawled under the covers with her and began to read with her, helping her with the words she could not pronounce and occasionally accepting her request to read a page to her. Five minutes later they were both fast asleep.

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A/N: Thank you for reading and reviewing! I appreciate it! In the next chapter they go to the pool party and Sheva makes a new friend! Stay tuned!

MeeMeeCandy777: Sorry I couldn't add what you wanted. Jill is actually not going to play a major role in this story, I don't even know if she will be in it for now. But we never know!

wolfspiritqueen: Thank you, I hope you enjoyed this chapter also!

~Sheva Redfield


	3. Chapter 3

Sheva woke up Saturday morning with the sun shining right into her eyes. She sat up and rubbed her eyes then yawned. She looked around at her surroundings and remembered that she was at Claire and Leon's house.

Sheva looked on the side of the bed that Ayanna was sleeping on and didn't see anything but a book. Her motherly instincts kicked in as she jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom and opened the door. Nothing. She then ran to the living room to look for her.

"Are you okay, mommy?" Ayanna asked innocently as she sat in the dining room eating breakfast. Sheva sighed as she saw this and nodded her head at her daughter.

Claire appeared from the hallway with a small grin on her face. "Did you think we stole her or something?" Claire asked Sheva with a small giggle.

"No, but there has been times that she has left her room in the morning and I found her in bathtub by herself. Which she knows she is not allowed to do so that was the first thing that came to mind." Sheva informed her friend.

"Well she came to our room and told us she was hungry so I came out to get her something to eat. But just to let you know, you might want to hurry and get ready because we leave out in an hour and 30 minutes." Claire told her.

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About an hour and 20 minutes later Sheva, Ayanna, Claire and Leon were dressed in their swimwear and over clothes. Leon and Claire were currently putting everything in the car while Sheva was strapping Ayanna in her car seat.

"Mommy can I try to do it?" Ayanna asked as she placed her small hands over her mothers.

"Go ahead and do it. Just be careful." Sheva told her and pulled her hands away. Ayanna struggled a bit at first then finally got the hang of the small contraption.

"I did it!" She said excitedly and clapped her hands together.

"Good job baby girl!" Sheva told her then gave her a kiss. "I'm gonna go see if Mr. Leon and Mrs. Claire need help. I will be right back. Ok?" Ayanna nodded her head. Sheva closed the door and walked to the back of the truck where Leon and Claire were.

"You guys got everything back here?" Sheva asked.

"Yeah, we got it. Thanks for asking." Leon told her.

Sheva nodded her head and walked back to the car and hopped into the back seat with Ayanna. Seconds later Leon and Claire hopped in the front and they were on their way to Chris' house.

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Five minutes later Leon was parking on the packed street of cars in front of Chris' house. Music, playful screaming and laughing could be heard from the backyard.

"Let's go! Let's go! Come on mommy!" Ayanna said excitedly as she tried to undo her car seat.

"Hold your horses Ayanna. We just got here." Sheva told her daughter, smiling at her excitement. Sheva unbuckled herself then reached over to unbuckle Ayanna while Claire and Leon grabbed the stuff to take to the backyard. Sheva helped Ayanna out of the car and headed to the backyard with Claire and Leon.

Chris' backyard was very large and had a nice patio and a large pool that was currently filled with a fair amount of people. Everyone else was either standing up or sitting down talking to someone. Sheva immediately felt like an outsider. She knew no one there. The nervous and shy look on Sheva's face did not pass Claire's eyes and she put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry Sheva, they'll love you."

"Thanks Claire. Though the first person I want to meet is your brother. Where is he?"

Claire didn't say anything and pointed to a handsome man coming their way. His hair was cut short and he had sharp facial structures. He was very muscular, she could see, as she looked at his flat and chiseled bare chest.

He came to the group and gave Claire a hug and Leon a handshake.

"I see you brought a friend along." Claire's brother said as he stopped in front of Sheva. She decided to introduce her and her daughter.

"Hello, I'm Sheva," She told him with a friendly smile and an outstretched hand. He took her hand and shook it with his larger one.

"I'm Chris if my forgetful sister didn't tell you already which I'm pretty sure she didn't." Chris greeted with a very nice smile.

"Oh and this is my daughter Ayanna." Sheva told him as she placed a hand on the top of her daughter's head and got her attention. "Say hi to Mr. Chris."

"Hi Mr. Chris!" Ayanna waved then started running towards the pool in excitement.

"No no no no no!" Sheva said quickly as she caught Ayanna's arm and picked her up. Ayanna whined and reached towards the pool.

"Calm down! You will be able to swim soon enough." Sheva told her as she walked back to the adults.

"Sorry about that, she loves to swim." Sheva told them with a nervous laugh.

"It's ok; you guys can go ahead and hop in. Have fun!" Chris said then went and did a cannonball into the pool.

Sheva grabbed the bag that had Ayanna's floaties and goggles from Claire, took off her over clothes so she was in her swimsuit and put them on her. She took her own over clothes off and was practically dragged to the pool by her 4 year old daughter.

"Mommy jump in first then catch me!" Ayanna told her as she pointed to the pool.

"What if it's cold I don't want to-," Sheva was cut off by Leon yelling "TOO SLOW!" then she felt herself being pushed into the pool of freezing cold water. Once Ayanna saw her mother get pushed into the pool she yelled "MOMMY!" then jumped in herself in attempt to save her. Sheva emerged from the water just in time to see her daughter jumping in and caught her just before her waist could touch the water.

"LEON SCOTT KENNEDY!" Sheva immediately yelled and cut her eyes at the doubled over Leon with a beer in his hand laughing his head off. Chris was standing beside him with his arms crossed with a slight smile on his face.

"Dude she looks pretty mad." He whispered to his laughing brother in law.

"That's the funny part!" Leon managed to get out and continued laughing, unaware that Sheva got out of the pool and was heading towards him. Chris had already taken a few steps back to avoid getting beaten by her.

Sheva reached Leon and grabbed him by his T-Shirt and dragged him to the pool then told him:

"Now if I were a mean person I would push you in, but you're lucky I'm nice when I want to be." Sheva told him then let go of his shirt.

"Well, thanks for being nice Shev." Leon thanked her and began walking off. Just before he could make it away from the side of the pool Sheva came up to him and said "Yeah, I don't think I want to be nice right now…" then shoved him right into the pool just like he did to her. There were laughs all around the back yard and Sheva went back to her daughter.

"Are you okay, mommy?" Ayanna asked slightly surprised by her mother's actions.

"Yeah baby, do you want to go swim now?"

"Yeah!" She answered and pulled her mother along once again to the pool and they both got in and began to splash each other.

Chris sat with his sister and watched the two from and distance.

"So you want to tell me about your friend?" Chris asked his sister who was munching on some Doritos.

"What do you want to know?"

"I don't know… is she single or something?" Chris asked. Claire gasped out loud and instantly grew excited.

"Do you like her?!" She asked as she put the chips down and looked her brother in the eye.

"No, I don't even know her. That is why I'm asking you about her." Chris told her and looked back at Sheva and Ayanna. Maybe he thought she was cute but he hadn't even known the woman for a whole hour so he wouldn't say he liked her. But he wanted to get to know her more than he ever wanted to get to know someone and it scared him. Her hand was so soft when he shook it and she had the most beautiful face and the most flawless skin.

Claire caught her brother staring and smiled. She was going to have to ask her friend what she thought of her brother.

"Chris, she's single. She got a divorce not too long ago. Just go talk to her, get to know her. She's really nice Chris, I promise. Now go!" Claire told him as she pushed him out of his seat and towards the pool.

Chris walked to the pool and got in then swam over to where Sheva was.

"Hey Sheva, are you enjoying yourself? Leon didn't bother you again did he?"

Sheva turned around and faced him with a smile on her face and giggled.

"I am enjoying myself, thank you for asking. And for Leon, I think he knows better than to bother me now."

"Hopefully, I thought you were going to beat the guy!" Chris joked.

"No, well not in front of her I should say." Sheva said as she motioned her head to Ayanna who was swimming around in small circles and making motorboat noises with her mouth. The two laughed at her then Chris asked how old she was.

"She's 4… 4 and a half as she likes to put it."

"She has a lot of energy." Chris observed.

"Yeah, it's a blessing and a curse." Sheva chuckled as she got up and sat on the edge of the pool.

"Mommy why are you getting out?" Ayanna asked as she started swimming towards her mother.

"I'm not getting out; I'm just sitting on the side. Keep on swimming." Sheva told her.

"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming swimming swimming!" Ayanna sung as she continued to doggy paddle around the two. Sheva smiled at her and pushed the hair out of her face.

"She is adorable. And she looks a lot like you too." Chris told her not realizing what he really said.

"I guess that makes me adorable?" Sheva said with a giggle. Chris immediately turned red and didn't say anything.

"I'm joking Chris, don't think to hard about it. But thank you for the compliment." Sheva told him as she put a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry it's not that you are not adorable or anything, you just… um… caught me off guard…" Chris stuttered, not looking her in the eye. She was adorable, beautiful, funny, and many other things Chris liked in a girl but he wanted to try to be her friend first.

"It's fine Chris don't worry about it." Sheva assured him.

"Alright so with that aside, I'm just wondering how long are you going to be staying with my sister?"

"Um well I already found a place and bought it here so I'm just waiting for our things to get here and that could take maybe a week and then I still have to get settled in and decorate. So maybe two weeks or so." Sheva informed him.

"Oh, did you buy an apartment or a house?"

"I bought a house because I wanted to paint the walls and have a small garden in the backyard. I also don't plan on moving anytime soon so I thought it would be ok to get one and be done with it. Now I'm kinda wishing I moved into your neighborhood, it's really nice. How many bedrooms is it?"

"It's 2 bedroom and one and a half bathrooms. I didn't really need such a big place but I use the other bedroom as an office and the half bathroom is half bathroom half laundry room. I would give you a tour but it's kind of messy." Chris admitted as he sat on the side of the pool next to Sheva.

"Oh, do you have a job or is it just an office for your computer and books and stuff?"

"I work for the BSAA. I'm on leave right now because I just went to Africa to deal with a small outbreak."

"I came here from Africa you know." She told him with a smile.

"Oh that's great. Did you come here because the outbreak freaked you out?"

"No, I was far away from where the outbreak happened."

"Don't mind me asking but why did you come here then? I mean, didn't you love being in Africa?"

"Of course I loved being in Africa, I spent my whole life there. It's just that… Ayanna's father and I got a divorce and I couldn't stand being around him so I came here. I know it wasn't the best thing for Ayanna but it's better than her hearing me and him fighting all the time." Sheva admitted.

"It's a good thing you didn't want her around that. You made a good decision."

"Yeah…" They both got quiet for a minute, the conversation took a sad turn. Sheva turned her attention to her daughter who was still swimming in circles and making noises.

"Mommy?" Ayanna asked as she swam towards her.

"Yes baby?"

"I have to go…" Once Ayanna said that Sheva pulled her out of the pool so she wouldn't go in there. That was the last thing she wanted to happen.

"Hey Chris, can she use your bathroom?"

"Sure, follow me." Chris said as he hopped out of the pool and led Sheva and Ayanna to the back door of his house. He opened it to reveal a nice kitchen, small in the eyes of Sheva because of how much she cooked. There was a small table with two chairs on the side of the wall that had a bowl of apples and oranges in it. On the floor by the chair closest to the back door there was a two sectioned dog dish. Chris saw Sheva eyeing the dog dish then quickly looking around for the animal that possessed it.

"He's upstairs in my room, completely harmless." Chris told he once he saw her pull Ayanna closer. Sheva nodded her head in understanding and relaxed a bit. She wasn't afraid of dogs but she wasn't sure how Ayanna would act around one.

"It's the first door to the left." Chris told her once they made it out the kitchen. Sheva walked Ayanna to the bathroom and asked if she needed help.

"It's ok mommy, I'm a big girl!" Ayanna told her as she walked in the bathroom with her chin high and closed the door.

"She is a proud little girl." Chris observed from the end of the hallway. Sheva walked down to him and stood beside him and nodded her head.

"Yeah, I just hope she doesn't take it too far." Sheva chuckled.

"I think she knows not to mess with you because of how you almost beat Leon." Chris joked and Sheva laughed. Chris watched her as she did. He watched how her nose cutely wrinkled and how her eyes closed slightly and she would show her perfect white teeth. Her laugh was like music to his ears, it was beautiful. Everything about that woman was beautiful from head to toe. ' _Stop thinking like that Chris, you just met her!_ ' Chris shook his head as he thought to himself.

"Yeah, it just takes one look at her and she knows when to stop…"

"I bet…" Chris laughed. Just then Ayanna came out of the bathroom.

"Did you flush and wash your hands?" Sheva asked as she came towards them.

"Yes mommy." Ayanna nodded.

"Good job." Sheva told her as she placed a hand on her daughter's head. The trio walked back out to the backyard and resumed swimming and playing around for about 45 more minutes before they sat down to eat the barbeque. By the time they finished eating, it was 8:30. The sun was starting to go down and most people had left. After changing into their change of clothes, Claire, Leon, and Sheva stayed and helped Chris fold up the lawn chairs and tables while Ayanna slept on the couch in Chris' living room.

"Hey, I just wanted to say thank you for today. We had a lot of fun…" Sheva thanked Chris with a smile as they were folding up a table together.

"No problem, it was great meeting you and your daughter. Maybe we could hang out sometime soon… I could show you guys around town if you'd like?" Chris asked her once they were done folding the table.

"That would be great, thanks." Sheva said as she watched Chris carry the table and prop it up against the house by 2 others. She couldn't keep her eyes off of his muscular arms and chest and he did his task. Chris pulled his phone out of his pocket and asked Sheva to do the same and they quickly exchanged numbers.

"So I'll just text you or call you when I have time off work. Actually I don't have work tomorrow so we can try then if you want?" Chris offered. Sheva sucked in air through her teeth and sighed.

"I can't do tomorrow… we are going to check out the new house and I'm going to get my car. You can come if you want?"

"That would be great, what time?"

"Um… around three unless the real estate guy reschedules… again…" Sheva told him.

"Alrighty, I will be at Claire's house by two then."

"Ok, I will tell her. I'll just go get Ayanna and we will be going." Sheva told him. They walked back into the house where Ayanna was still asleep and Claire and Leon were sitting on the other couch.

"Took you guys long enough… I'm getting tired…" Leon said as he and Claire stood up.

"Sorry to keep you guys waiting." Sheva apologized as she picked up her sleeping child. "We can go now. Oh and Claire? I invited Chris to come look at the house and get my car with us… he's gonna be at your house around 2." Sheva told her while she rocked side to side with Ayanna in her arms.

"Oh ok… you guys have gotten really friendly quick…" Claire observed with a smile.

"Yeah… well I will see you guys tomorrow…" Chris told Claire and Leon as he pulled Claire into a hug and gave Leon a handshake.

"Love you, Chris." Claire told him.

"Love you too." Chris let go of Claire. And walked over to where Sheva was holding Ayanna.

"And I will see you tomorrow also…" He told the sleeping Ayanna quietly as he rubbed her back earning a small snore from her.

They chuckled at her and finished saying their goodbyes then got in the truck and left.

0000

Once they got back to Claire and Leon's place Sheva immediately gave Ayanna a bath so she could go to bed because she knew she was tired. Ayanna cried the whole time due to tiredness and almost fell asleep while Sheva was washing her hair and massaging her scalp. Sheva quickly finished cleaning her, helped her brush her teeth, put some pajamas on her, dried and fixed her hair for the night, then put her to bed.

Sheva got in the shower and basically followed the same routine then laid down next to her. She checked her phone that was on the nightstand and saw she got a goodnight message from Chris. She sent a message back to him and ended up receiving another message from him. They sent texts back and forth and ended up texting for an hour about random stuff. They finally finished talking and told each other goodnight for the last time.

Sheva put her phone back on the charger and turned on her side to see Ayanna sleeping peacefully. Sheva gave her a goodnight kiss on her forehead and closed her eyes to sleep. As she was drifting off, she thought about the conversation she and Chris had and seeing him tomorrow. All she could do was smile as she fell into a deep sleep.

A/N: Awww, they clicked quickly ;) Stay tuned for the next chapter and don't forget to review and follow for more updates!

Beldray: I think I am going to take a break from Jill being the crazy ex for now, but thank you for your suggestion.


	4. Chapter 4

****Disclaimer: I do not own McDonalds!****

The next morning Sheva woke up to the feel of a tiny hand petting her head and singing. Ayanna was singing an African lullaby that Sheva usually sung to her while doing her hair or trying to get her to sleep. Sheva sat there and listened to her daughter sing and quickly felt like going back to sleep but she knew she had to get up so she could get ready to go out today. Sheva slowly opened her eyes to see her daughter's happy face only inches away from hers.

"Good morning baby." Sheva said as she puckered her lips so Ayanna could give her a kiss. Ayanna gave her a quick kiss and told her good morning back.

"I heard you singing." Sheva told her with a smile.

"Did you like it?" Ayanna asked as she moved some hair off her mother's face.

Sheva chuckled at her trying to be just like her and nodded her head. "I loved it. You almost put me back to sleep." Sheva told her as she sat up and stretched. Ayanna sat up too and clapped her hands and her smile got bigger. Sheva looked over at the clock as she was stretching and saw that it was 11:40. She sighed and kicked her leg over the side of the bed and stood up, putting her slippers on.

"We have to get up now so we can get ready to see our new house. Are you excited?" Sheva asked as she picked Ayanna up off the bed and put her down and held onto her hand. Ayanna nodded excitedly and began to drag Sheva out of their room. Ayanna quickly went to the bathroom and then they went out into the kitchen so they could get something to eat. Sheva just heated up some pancakes for them and they ate while talking about the car Sheva was going to get. Ayanna kept on insisting that they get a pink or purple car while Sheva thought about a red or black car.

"We will just have to see what they have, ok?" Sheva told Ayanna as she washed their dishes.

"Ok!" She responded as she jumped up and down, using the counter to hold herself up.

"Someone is excited." Claire observed as she walked in the kitchen.

"Mrs. Claire!" Ayanna exclaimed as she ran towards her and gave her a big hug, actually making Claire take a few steps back from the force. She picked her up and hugged her back.

"Did you sleep well?" Claire asked her after she kissed her cheek. Ayanna nodded and proudly told her "When I woke up Mommy was still sleeping and I was singing to her and she said I almost put her back to sleep!"

"Oh really? Well isn't that sweet!" Claire told her as she put her back down.

"Yeah…" Sheva said with a chuckle as she finished drying her hands. "And now we have to go get ready because mommy needs some extra time to see what she can do to this." Sheva said as she motioned to her face.

"If you're putting make up on for Chris, don't. He already saw you with barely any on and thought you were pretty." Claire said with a shrug as she prepared cereal for herself. Sheva gasped at her response.

"Wait… he said I was pretty?" Sheva asked Claire with a slight blush to her cheeks. She paused for a second and changed her expression. "Wait, no who said I was doing this for Chris? Why can't I put make up on just to look nice?"

"…for Chris." Claire coughed into her fist, trying to hide she said that.

Sheva rolled her eyes and told Claire playfully "I hate you sometimes…" with a chuckle.

"You only hate me when you know I'm right." Claire said quickly and tried to run past Sheva quickly without spilling her cereal, knowing what was coming next. Before Claire could get past her, Sheva reached out and playfully punched her in the arm that she wasn't holding the cereal with earning the stupidest laugh from Claire as she ran to her room to eat and get ready.

Ayanna was giggling the whole time and Sheva just laughed too.

"Come on baby, let's go brush our teeth and get dressed." Sheva told her with a smile as she grabbed her hand.

They went to brush their teeth then Sheva got Ayanna dressed. She wore some blue denim shorts and a hot pink shirt that had some cheetah print sunglasses that had sparkles on them on the front and some simple hot pink flip flops. Sheva let her wear her hair straight down and put a matching headband on her and she was ready to go.

Sheva wore a sleeveless yellow blouse that complimented her skin and some dark skinny jeans with yellow flats. She decided to wear less make up than usual and curled her hair into beach waves. She put on some jewelry that matched her blouse, sprayed on some perfume, and decided she looked decent.  
As Sheva was looking herself over in the mirror, the doorbell rang. She looked at the clock on her phone and saw that it was already 2 so it was most likely Chris.

"Can you get that Sheva? It's probably Chris." Claire yelled to Sheva from her room.

"Yeah, I got it!" Sheva responded. She went to go answer the door and Ayanna followed closely behind her, holding onto one of her fingers. Sheva looked through the peephole and saw Chris standing there in a green T-shirt and some dark jeans with a pair of sunglasses on. He looked simple but nice.

Sheva let Ayanna unlock the door and open it to reveal Chris.

"Hi Mr. Chris!" Ayanna said excitedly as she went to hug his leg.

"Ayanna!" Sheva gasped, surprised at her actions.

"It's fine, she's just being nice, huh?" Chris asked as he crouched down to her level to give her a hug and pick her up. Ayanna nodded and smiled at her mom.

Sheva shook her head and smiled. She moved aside so Chris could come in and shut the door behind him. They walked to the living room and Chris plopped Ayanna down on the couch and sat next to her and Sheva sat on the other side of her.

"You look really nice Sheva." Chris told her, "You should wear your hair like that more often." Was he flirting? Sheva could feel her cheeks heating up as she put on a shy smile and replied "Thank you."

"No problem." Chris said returning the smile. He knew what he was doing and could surely see the blush on her cheeks.

"Mr. Chris, can I try on your sunglasses?" Ayanna asked as she tapped his shoulder.

"No Ayanna, leave his stuff alone." Sheva told her once she snapped out of her thoughts.

"It's ok, she can try them on," Chris began to take his sunglasses off but stopped when he earned a glare from Sheva. "Or not… sorry kiddo, what mom says goes." Chris told Ayanna. Sheva smiled and nodded at him. Ayanna began to puff her cheeks and pout.

"Don't even." Sheva looked at her seriously.

"But he said I could!" Ayanna pouted.

"But what did I say?" Ayanna stayed quiet and looked at her feet. "I take that as you understand." Sheva said and looked back up to Chris and he looked at her apologetically as he took his sunglasses off.

"I won't wear mine if it helps." Chris told her as he took them off and hooked it to his shirt.

"You don't have to, she'll be fine." Sheva told him. Ayanna stomped her feet at this and began to puff her cheeks again. Sheva stood up and grabbed Ayanna's hand and led her to a corner of the living room even though she tried to resist.

"You stay right here and fix that attitude. If you don't there will be trouble so I would stand here and be ready to apologize when it time to go." Sheva told her nicely. She saw tears start to roll down her cheeks and wiped them away with her hand and gave her a kiss. "We were having a good morning and I want that to continue so I just want to give you time too calm down so the rest of the day can be fun ok? You know mommy loves you and only does this to help you right?"

Ayanna nodded and wiped away the rest of her tears. "Ok, I'm only going to give you five minutes and I will tell you to come from the corner ok?" Sheva told her.

"Yes Mommy…" Ayanna sniffled. Sheva nodded and sat back down by Chris who looked at her surprised.

"Wow…" Chris said.

"Yeah. Just be lucky she stopped there or you would have seen a very mean side of me." Sheva chuckled.

"I'm sorry about that; I should have taken my sunglasses off when I came inside anyway." Chris apologized.

"You don't need to apologize, Chris. She just gets upset sometimes, but she's little so I can't really get mad at her for it… unless I warned her before then she does it anyway. That she can get in some serious trouble for."

"Oh… I guess I can't really know until I have kids, huh?"

"Nope. But it's really worth it." Sheva said as she looked over at her daughter with a small smile.

"I want some eventually but I want to retire and settle down first." Chris admitted.

"Yeah, I think you would be a great dad."

"Why?" Chris asked with a small smile.

"…Because you know what mom says goes." Sheva said and they both chuckled about it.

"But seriously… you would be a great dad. I can tell just be how quickly Ayanna warmed up to you, she's usually not like that and is very shy. But she just met you yesterday and she already feels comfortable enough to attach herself to you leg and ask you for your stuff." Sheva paused to let out a small laugh and continued. "I guess you just have that aura about you that shows her you're a good guy you know? And it's not just her, it's me too. We clicked so quickly and last night when we were texting I felt like I knew you for a long time, like…I could tell you anything. And usually I don't feel like that when I haven't even known the person for a day! It just scares me… but I know its ok." Sheva admitted and it honestly felt good. She looked up from her hands when Chris didn't respond and quickly apologized. "I'm sorry; you probably think I'm really weird now…"

Chris quickly came out of his thoughts once he heard her apologize. He grabbed her hands in his own, taking a second to see the difference in the size of her hand to his and how small they were before looking at her seriously.

"You're not weird. You're amazing and honestly I feel like I have known you and Ayanna forever too." Chris told her as he looked her in the eyes. They got lost in each other's gazes for a minute and Sheva could feel herself falling for him. It scared her to death because this was all new to her and she just got out of a relationship. Maybe Americans were just really friendly people?

"Mommy? Has it been 5 minutes yet?" Ayanna asked from the corner. Chris and Sheva quickly separated and Chris let go of Sheva's hands. Sheva put a piece of hair behind her ear and cleared her throat before answering.

"Um, yes sweetheart you can come out and apologize now." Sheva told her. Ayanna came scurrying over to them and stood in front of Chris.

"I'm sorry I had an attitude when I couldn't put your glasses on Mr. Chris." Ayanna apologized and gave Chris a hug. He hugged her back and placed his chin on her head and looked to Sheva who was smiling at the two. Chris smiled back at her and ended the embrace.

"I think you need to apologize to your mommy now." Chris told her and she nodded. She climbed onto her mother's lap and gave her a hug.

"I'm sorry for being bad mommy… I don't want to be. I just want to make you happy." Ayanna apologized, her voice quivering like she was about to cry again. She hated being 'bad' and getting in trouble and it made her sad because she didn't want to upset her.

"Oh no baby, you're not bad. Not at all. And you make me so happy by just being you. You just didn't make a good choice, that's all, but it's ok, we all have days where we make mistakes." Sheva told her as she pulled her closer and rocked her. She heard Ayanna's small sniffles and her taking deep breaths trying to calm down. Chris grabbed some tissues off the coffee table and handed them to Sheva who wiped Ayanna's face with them.

"You don't have to cry, baby. Nobody's mad at you." Sheva told her caringly. It took a minute but Ayanna stopped crying and was left with some hiccups. The remainder of the time they sat there trying to get rid of her hiccups and laughing at the silly ways they thought of.

Claire was finally ready by 2:30 and they all headed outside. Chris took Ayanna's car seat and put it in his car while Sheva got in the front seat. Claire was taking her truck because she was going to eat lunch with Leon at work while they went car shopping. Chris helped Ayanna strap herself in her car seat and then got in the driver's seat. The put the house in the GPS and were on their way.

0000

The house was in a very nice neighborhood to say the least. As they drove around all the streets Sheva saw lots of families out with their kids and was getting excited at the thought of all the new friends Ayanna could make. They finally pulled into the large driveway of the two story white house with a freshly mowed lawn. They all got out of the vehicles and followed the rock path up to the porch of the house where the real estate guy was waiting. He greeted them all with handshakes and unlocked the door for them to go inside.

They toured the 3 bedroom house and Sheva couldn't wipe the large smile off her face. The bedrooms were perfect sizes and so was the kitchen, large and spacious with lots of counter space and a 6 burner stove. The master bedroom had a large walk in closet and the bathroom had a tub large enough to fit 2 people. She was already planning on where to put all the furniture and what color scheme she wanted each room to be.

They made their way to the deck where they could see the fair sized backyard and Ayanna went running around all over it. There was room for Sheva to put a small playground for Ayanna and room for her to have a garden and maybe a small pool also. They went back inside and Sheva signed all of the paperwork then the real estate agent gave her the keys and congratulated her on her new house. Claire left after that so she could meet Leon for lunch and told them she would see them back at the house. Ayanna had begun to complain about being hungry so they decided to grab lunch at McDonalds before they went to the car dealership.

On the way there Sheva was telling Chris about the decorations shw was going to get and how excited she was to paint.

"I think I'm going to do either purple, turquoise, coral, or tan for my room. Which one do you think I should do?" Sheva asked Chris as she looked at paint pallets on her phone.

"Whichever one makes you happiest." Chris told her with a grin. It made him happy to see how interested in designing the house.

"Ugh, you are no help at all." Sheva rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"I tried at least. In my house I had to get Claire to help and I'm glad she did. If it wasn't for her, my house would have no color scheme at all. I'm just glad you didn't see my room." Chris admitted.

Sheva looked up from her phone and looked at Chris with a raised eyebrow.

"What's wrong with your room?" Sheva asked taking an interest in what he had to say.

"Everything… like everything you could possibly think of." Chris chuckled.

"So… you're hiding a dinosaur under your bed who has super powers but you can't expose him to the world because you are afraid that scientist will do tests on him and you have made such a strong bond that you wouldn't even dare to let them poke at him and take samples of his blood to find out where he got his powers fromor how he is still alive?" Sheva asked, looking at Chris innocently and earning a few giggles from Ayanna in the back.

"Wow umm… I wasn't expecting that honestly. I guess I kinda gave too much away because you just found out my biggest secret. I could totally fit a dinosaur under my bed." Chris told her playfully causing her and Ayanna to laugh. "But seriously it's just messy. I was kind of over dramatic wasn't I?"

"Yeah, just a bit." Sheva laughed and looked back at the paint pallets on her phone. A minute later, Chris pulled into a McDonalds and they went inside to eat.

0000

They sat in McDonalds for about 40 minutes before they left to go to the car dealership. They were currently in Chris' truck on the highway heading there now. Ayanna was in the back seat asleep, drained from playing in the kid's area. While she was asleep, Sheva was telling Chris about Ayanna's father. It made Chris slightly jealous when Sheva explained to him how great of a father he was but he got over it when she began to talk about the divorce.

"He was just getting so secretive and staying out late so I should have known he was cheating on me. The worst part was that he had another family. He had a son who is a year old so he was cheating on me since Ayanna was three. I found out months before about what was happening… I just didn't want to say anything so he could stay with Ayanna but one day we got into an argument and I told him I knew what was happening and about his other family… then he told me it was easier to leave me and be with them and then we got a divorce." Sheva told him sadly.

"Sheva it was really amazing that you stayed with him for Ayanna even though you knew what he was doing. Not many people would do that."

"Yeah… I only did it for her…"

"When is the last time she talked to him?" Chris knew it was none of his business; he just wanted to make conversation.

"He hasn't talked to her since we left…" Sheva told him with a sigh.

"Oh, why don't you call him?"

"Because he said he would call her and I don't want Ayanna to feel forced to talk to him. If she asks to talk to him then I will let her but I won't force her to." Sheva told him truthfully.

"Does she know what really happened?" Chris asked another question.

"Well… not really. She thinks we were not happy anymore and we are not meant to be together. I plan on telling her when she is in high school or somthing, when she can understand what is happening." She told him as she tucked a piece of her curly hair being her ear.

"Oh, that's a good idea." Chris said quietly. Then there was an uncomfortable silence. Chris decided to speak up. He grabbed her hand as he kept his eyes on the road.

"Sheva I'm really sorry I brought that up. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Chris apologized as he squeezed her hand. Sheva looked down at their joined hands and smiled.

"You don't need to apologize, Chris. It felt good to talk to someone about it."

"I really admire you for what you did Sheva." Chris admitted to her as he caressed her hand. "Thanks Chris." Sheva really appreciated that, it was just the boost she needed. For the rest of the ride, Chris held Sheva's hand and they sat in comfortable silence.

0000

A/N: Good going Chris ;) haha. Thank you for everyone who is reading and supporting this story!

Leon S.K: Well we have our own opinions. I am going to tell you now, you will never find Leon and Ada stories on my account because I am not a big fan of Ada, sorry. All you will find is Chris X Sheva; I put it in the description so I hope you didn't come here looking for anything other than that, haha. Also, what you said was not considered constructive criticism; you just want me to make a story that is tailored to what you want to read. Telling me my story sucks and my fan fiction name is dumb in not advice. I hope that you know if you were trying to hurt me in any way it did not work. Do not read this story anymore if you want to make rude comments, I don't even know if you are going to see this response, haha. Also I was trying to go for unoriginal so thank you for letting me know I reached that goal Have an amazing day!

~Sheva Redfield


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Lexus… I wish I did though :P**

The trio arrived at the car dealership after a 15 minute ride and Sheva and Ayanna exited the vehicle. Sheva decided to carry Ayanna because she knew it was about her nap time and didn't want to wake her and risk her being cranky. Chris dropped them off at the front door then went to find somewhere to park so they wouldn't have to walk through the large parking lot full of new and clean cars.

"I'll be back in a second." Chris told Sheva through the window and drove off to find a place to park. As they stood there waiting, Ayanna woke up in her mother's arms with a small yawn. She raised herself up a bit and looked up at her surroundings.

"Are you awake now sweetheart?" Sheva asked as she gave her half awake daughter a kiss on the cheek. Ayanna nodded her head and cuddled back up with her mother.

"Are you going back to sleep?" Sheva asked another question. Ayanna shook her head then asked "Do I have to?"

"No, but if you aren't I have to put you down because you're getting heavy." Sheva told her as she placed her on her hip.

"I'm going back to sleep then." Ayanna said then closed her eyes. Sheva rolled her eyes with a chuckle and began to rock her. In a few seconds she was back asleep. Sheva chuckled at her daughter once again and began walking back and forth, waiting for Chris. Sheva heard the rustling of keys and looked to her right to see Chris jogging towards them.

"Sorry that took so long, I was trying to hurry." Chris apologized once he made it to Sheva.

"Really Chris? It only took you a minute. Most people would have me waiting for 3." Sheva told him with a smile. Chris smiled back at her with a small chuckle and scratched the back of his neck in habit. He walked to the double doors of the tall white building and opened the door for Sheva to go through.

"Thank you." Sheva thanked him and walked in, Chris not far behind her. The room was nicely decorated; it had white walls that had large windows all around and a grey tiled floor which were so clean that Sheva could see her own reflection. There were white chairs by tables with magazines on them and a few activity tables for the children. They were the only people in there at the moment. The only problem was the temperature.

"Jeez, it's cold in here!" Sheva exclaimed.

"I have a jacket in my truck if you want me to go get it?" Chris offered.

"You are too sweet, but I'm ok. Thank you though you polite young man!" Sheva told him as she grabbed his cheek and squeezed it. Chris chuckled and rolled his eyes at her playfully.

"No problem, Shev." Chris told her; unaware that he called her her nickname.

"Are you going to start calling me Shev now?" Sheva asked with a raised eyebrow.

"If that's ok with you?" Chris told her squeezing her cheek like she did him, causing Sheva to giggle.

"Whatever." She told him jokingly.

"Can I help you guys?" A woman with long brown hair dressed in a red business suit at the front desk asked as she stood up and walked towards them. They both looked at her thinking the same thing: how long has she been there?

"Oh um… I'm looking for a car." Sheva told her simply.

"No dip Sherlock." Chris mumbled to her and an elbow connected with his stomach in less than a second, causing him to grab it with a pained expression and then a small smile.

"Alright, I can help you with that. My name is Anna by the way." She said nicely and extended her hand for Sheva to shake. Sheva shook her hand and introduced herself.

"I'm Sheva, it's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. Who is this little sleeping beauty?!" Anna asked as he voice raised an octave.

"This is my daughter, Ayanna." Sheva told the woman.

"Aw, she's so precious!" Anna told her.

"Thank you!" Sheva smiled. "No problem!" Anna straightened up and turned to Chris.

"You must be the husband?" Anna assumed

as she extended her hand once again then continued speaking without giving Chris a chance to correct her, "You are really lucky, she's really beautiful isn't she?" she asked not knowing her mistake.

"Well yeah… but we aren't together. Were just close friends." Chris told her turning a deep shade of red as he shook her hand and looked over to Sheva who was also blushing.

"Oh my apologies. But you guys would be really cute together, just saying. Anyway! I am going to go get some papers and I will be right back so we can start looking at cars for you!" Anna said quickly then disappeared into the room behind her desk, leaving Chris and Sheva in awkward silence.

"Are Americans usually so personal with new people?" Sheva asked Chris, breaking the silence.

"No, she was just trying to be polite." Chris told her as he cleared his throat and let out an awkward chuckle.

"Oh…" Sheva said and then they got silent again. They stood there quietly, anxiously waiting for Anna to return. She came rushing back out of the room and stood in front of the two with papers in her hand.

"Ok we can go ahead outside and look at the cars we have available then we will go from there." Anna told them and headed outside, Chris and Sheva right behind her. As they were following her through the lot, Sheva switched Ayanna to her other hip and sighed.

"Is she getting heavy?" Chris asked as he watched her stretch her free arm.

"Yeah, but I don't want to wake her or she'll be really cranky." Sheva sighed.

"I can hold her if you want?" Chris offered.

"No, it's ok. I got her. Thank you though." Sheva told him. When Chris didn't say anything she looked at him, he had an expression on his face that showed he knew she didn't mean what she said.

"What?" Sheva asked even thought she was sure she knew what. Chris didn't say anything and just crossed his arms then continued to look at her.

"I just don't want you to feel like I'm taking advantage of you. You drove me to my new house, bought me and Ayanna lunch and then brought me here. I still have to pay you back some gas money and for lunch." Sheva admitted.

"You don't have to pay me anything. I chose to do that on my own, you don't own me anything. Now let me hold her so you can take a break." Chris told her as he held his arms for Ayanna. He was honestly nervous because he hasn't held a sleeping child in years but he wanted to be nice to Sheva and help her out so he put his fears aside.

Sheva eyed him for a minute then gently passed Ayanna over to Chris. She stirred a bit then immediately cuddled up to Chris.

"Don't drop my child." Sheva told him with squinted eyes. He softly chuckled and told her he wouldn't.

"Ok Sheva, what kind of car do you want?" Anna asked once they made it to where all the cars for sale were parked.

"Um… I want one with four doors… and um…I really don't know… I'm sorry; I'm not really good with cars and stuff…" Sheva apologized, embarrassed.

"It's alright Hun, how about you just look around at the cars and you show me the one you like the most then we can go from there alright?" Anna told her.

"Thank would be great, thanks." Sheva thanked her then pulled Chris along the row of new cars. She looked at all the cars that caught her eye and asked Chris for his opinion. She was grateful he was there or she would not have come to a final decision. After about 30 minutes of looking and weighing the pros and cons Sheva finally chose a silver Lexus. Anna informed her about the car then asked to see her driver's license so she could give it a test drive. Sheva gave to Anna and she checked it before running in to grab the keys and giving them to Sheva. Chris gave Ayanna back to Sheva for a second so he could run and get her car seat and a jacket for Sheva when they went back in. He came back and hooked up the car seat in the back then took Ayanna back from Sheva and put her in her car seat. He closed the door, making sure not to wake Ayanna then opened the door for Sheva, and got in himself.

"When is the last time you drove?" Chris asked as he buckled his seatbelt.

"The day before I got here, it's going to hard to get used to not driving a stick shift." Sheva chuckled as she put the key in the ignition and watched as the car came to life.

"You had a stick shift?" Chris asked, surprised.

"No, my ex did. This is the first car I have ever really owned." Sheva told him as she played with the buttons, figuring out what each one did. "Can you wake Ayanna up? I want to make sure she will be able to get some sleep tonight too." Sheva requested. Chris nodded and reached back to gently shake Ayanna's leg, she stirred a bit.

"Ayanna, you need to wake up." Chris told her when he saw her waking up. He shook her leg once more and she finally opened her big brown eyes. She rubbed them and stretched out in her car seat. She looked around confused at the new car.

"You like this car baby?" Sheva asked once she saw she was awake.

"Is it purple?" Ayanna asked as she tried to escape her car seat. She wanted to see the outside or the car.

"No it's not, and stay in your seat. I'm about to start driving." Sheva told her.

"I want some candy." Ayanna said out of the blue while still trying to get out of her car seat.

"No, it's too late. It's already six and I told you once to stop trying to get out. Sit down." Sheva told her, getting slightly annoyed. Ayanna let out an annoyed sound and began to kick her legs on the back of Chris seat, yelling about candy. Then the unexpected happened. Chris quickly turned his head to look at Ayanna with a serious and displeased expression on his face.

"Your mother has already told you to stop twice, you need to listen. You are being VERY disrespectful. Now you need to sit down right now and stop your little fit. Understood?" Chris said sternly. Ayanna immediately sat down in her seat, scared by Chris change in attitude and quickly answered "Yes Mr. Chris…" in a shaky voice. Once Chris turned around Ayanna let out a loud wail and put her hand in her mouth to try and muffle the cry. Chris immediately felt guilty about how he snapped at her and especially without Sheva's permission. He was about to apologize to Ayanna when Sheva stopped him and told him "You don't need to apologize, let her cry. She deserved it."

"Are you sure? I'm sorry I did that without telling you at first." Chris apologized to Sheva instead. She waved it off and told him "its fine, thank you for that." Chris nodded and sat back in his seat and sighed. He still felt really guilty; she was only 4, he didn't mean to scare her that bad. He was going to make sure Ayanna knew he didn't mean to be mean before the end of the night.

Sheva finally backed out of the spot and began to drive the car around the parking lot, then to close by places. Ayanna had stopped crying halfway through and now was sitting in her seat, cleaning her face and nose with her hands.

"Chris can you look in my purse and hand her some tissues please?" Sheva asked as the light turned to green. Chris nodded and pulled a small pack of tissues and handed some to Ayanna.

"Thank you." Ayanna told him as she took the tissues and wiped her nose and eyes. "You're welcome." Chris told her and closed Sheva's purse back up then sat it back where it was.

"How do you like it?" Chris asked once they came to a stop light.

"It's really nice. I'm going to get this one for sure. Do you think we should head back?" She asked him, not taking her eyes off the road. "Yeah let's go."

0000

They quickly made it back to the dealership and Sheva began to sign the papers and filling out forms. While she was doing that Chris and Ayanna were in the waiting area. Ayanna was playing with an activity table while Chris was reading a magazine and watching her. Out of nowhere, Ayanna came running to Chris and asked him "Can I give you a hug?" Chris put down his magazine and opened his arms for her. She walked into them and wrapped her tiny arms around him. He hugged her back, resting his chin on her head like earlier.

"You don't have to ask to give me a hug sweetheart." Chris told her nicely.

"Are you still mad at me?" She asked as she looked up at him.

"I was never mad at you. I just didn't like how your mom told you to stop doing something but you kept doing it." Ayanna looked down at her feet, feeling guilty.

"No, look at me when I'm talking to you." Chris told her and waited for her to do as he said then continued "She should only have to tell you once and you should do as she says. I don't want to hear her tell me that you didn't listen to her when she told you to do something. Ok? I didn't mean to make you cry in the car but you were getting out of hand. Do you know what happened to me and Mrs. Claire when we acted like how you did today?" Ayanna shook her head no.

"We got our toys taken away; we got spanked, and then sent to bed without any dinner or dessert. You should be really happy that your mom is really nice. So why she comes back, you need to apologize to her for being disrespectful. Alright? And no crying either." Chris told her and patted her back.

"Yes Mr. Chris. Thank you for not being mad at me." Ayanna told him gratefully.

"No problem. Hey, can you show me what you were doing over at the table?" Chris asked.

She nodded happily and grabbed his hand, pulling him to the table and showing him the pictures she drew and even drew a one with him.

Sheva was standing at the desk by Anna watching to two with a large smile. She just finished filling out the papers and was waiting for the computer to finish its job so they could go. She loved how Chris was with her, he could be teaching her a lesson but a few minutes later they could be drawing and talking about puppies.

"You like him don't you?" Anna asked as she watched Sheva smiling at them.

Sheva immediately stopped smiling and turned to look at Anna, pulling Chris' jacket closer to her.

"I've only known him for two days." Sheva told her.

"That doesn't matter. I mean you trust him with your daughter so he must have done something in these two days to show he was trustworthy." She told Sheva with a small grin.

"He's my best friend's brother so I feel like I can trust him. And when Ayanna first met him she wasn't shy like she usually is so I knew she was comfortable with him." She made excuses.

"I can tell he really cares for the both of you. He looks at you with so much affection in his eyes, don't tell me you couldn't tell? His eyes dilate when he looks at you; people's eyes dilate when they look at someone they love." Anna told her and watched as she blushed a little and tucked some of her wavy hair behind her ear.

"He can't love me; he's only known me for two days." Sheva told her once again, but she was really curious if the thing about his eyes dilating was true. She would just have to look into his eyes next time they talked.

"Love has no limits, Hun." Anna told her as she looked at the computer that had finished uploading the information about the car and then grabbed some papers from the printer for Sheva to keep. She handed them to Sheva who gave a quiet thank you, obviously still in deep thought.

"I think that's everything, enjoy your new car!" Anna told her then reminded her "Remember, love has no limits…" and walked away into the back office leaving Sheva to think about what she said.

Sheva bit her lip and walked towards the two. Ayanna was the first to notice her coming and quickly ran to her, giving her a hug.

"I'm sorry for not being nice in the car, mommy." Ayanna apologized as Sheva picked her up. She gave her a kiss and hugged her close. "It's alright, baby."

"Yay!" Ayanna whispered quietly causing Sheva to chuckle then put her down. Ayanna immediately ran to the table and grabbed a drawing.

"Look at the picture me and Mr. Chris colored for you!" Ayanna told her as she practically shoved them at Sheva. She took the coloring of a scribbled in automobile and looked at it with a smile. She could tell where Chris colored and where Ayanna colored because the front part of the car was colored neatly in the lines from Chris and the back part had which Ayanna had colored had multiple colors and was outside of the lines. She flipped it over to see the back and her smile got even bigger when she saw it. In child's handwriting it said:

From Ayanna and Cris

To Mommy

We luv you!

Sheva chuckled at the mistakes and gave Ayanna another hug and kiss. She would have to get Ayanna a spelling book so she could work on that but she didn't worry about it then because it seemed cute at the moment.

"I love it! Thank you!" Sheva told her once she let go.

"You're welcome!" Ayanna told her proudly.

"What about my hug? I helped too!" Chris said playfully as he stood up. Sheva chuckled as she walked over to him and gave him a hug. With her arms still wrapped around him so looked up at him and he was looking down at her. She looked into his eyes and sure enough she saw them dilate. She couldn't help but smile at that, so if what Anna said was true, he did love her. She was scared of this but felt so safe and secure in his arms she didn't even want worry about it at the moment.

A/N: Aw, that's adorable. I felt like I had to add the eyes dilating thing because I read about it and thought it was the cutest thing so I had to add it but I feel like it did it too soon but hey, that show must go on!

But on a more serious note, people have been leaving… inappropriate reviews on my story (you know who you are) so please stop. I get it if you don't like my stories but please don't leave inappropriate reviews and just move along, thank you

The95will: Aw, thank you! Yeah, I tried to make Ayanna how I would imagine a four year old would be (don't know if I succeed, haha). Yeah, I tried to keep Sheva in character but at the same time tried to make her a bit different since she is not in the BSAA in this one. Could you explain how the dialogue is chunky? I'm not trying to come off as defensive or anything, I would just like to know so I can fix it and make it more enjoyable for you to read. But thank you, I'm really glad you said something and you were constructive about it. Haha, yeah I thought that would be fun to add. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and you have a wonderful day also!

REfan: Thanks

~Sheva Redfield


	6. Chapter 6

**Warning: This chapter is a little sad and has the sensitive topic of parents arguing. Just a warning but other than that enjoy!**

Chris led Sheva back to Claire and Leon's place because she was still trying to find her way around. They arrived to the house and parked in the large driveway. To Sheva's surprise Ayanna stayed awake the whole ride. Sheva parked the car, got out, and then helped Ayanna out. Together they walked up the pathway to the front door of the house. Before Sheva could knock on the door, Chris was running behind them holding up some keys.

"I have a key; we'll just use it so we don't wake them up." Chris told her as he approached them. Sheva nodded in understanding and stepped to with side with Ayanna, letting Chris unlock the door. Chris put the key in the hole and tried to unlock it but the doorknob was resisting. He let go of the key for a second and listened as the door was unlocked from the opposite side. The door was opened to reveal Leon in a white T-shirt and light blue pajama pants with an annoyed look on his face.

"You guys could have been quieter you know, we were sleeping." Leon told them as he walked away from the door and into the kitchen.

"Well I was trying to use my key but you decided to come to the door." Chris shrugged as he closed the door behind them.

"Mm hm, well I'm going back to sleep. Goodnight guys." Leon waved them off and headed back to the bedroom leaving them alone.

"I should probably go home and get some rest too." Chris said after a few moments of silence.

"Oh yeah, I should probably get her to bed also. Thank you so much for everything today, we really enjoyed ourselves." Sheva told him with a sincere smile.

"Yeah, thank you!" Ayanna added in then went to give Chris a hug, well his leg at least. He returned her hug then turned to Sheva who was once again smiling at the two. He opened his arms for her and she walked into his embrace.

"You're welcome guys, we'll do something again soon." Chris told them once the hug ended. Sheva nodded and grabbed Ayanna's hand.

"See you later Mr. Chris!" Ayanna waved with a smile.

"Goodnight." Chris told them and made his leave. Once the door was shut, Sheva locked it and picked Ayanna up.

"Well its bath time my little one." Ayanna groaned then rested her head on Sheva's shoulder causing her to chuckle. "The quicker we get it done the quicker we can go to sleep." She said as she strode down the hallway to the empty bathroom. She put Ayanna down and began to run the water, altering the temperature until it was just right. She quickly bathed Ayanna and surprisingly she didn't fuss like she usually did when she was washing her hair. The water was drained and Ayanna was pulled out of the tub. Sheva wrapped her in a fluffy towel along with her hair then carried her to the bedroom they occupied and got her dressed. As she was finishing doing her hair for the night, her phone began to loudly ring scaring both of the girls who were sitting in silence due to tiredness.

Sheva put the last rubber band on her hair then answered her phone not bothering to see who it was.

"Hey Sheva… could I talk to Ayanna?" A deep accented voice came over the phone causing her blood to go cold. Derek. Instead of giving the phone to Ayanna, Sheva began talking to him.

"Well hello to you too. What happened to you calling every night?" Sheva asked, holding back a growl in her voice because Ayanna was sitting in front of her. The last thing she wanted to do was upset her.

"Sheva things happen and I know I will not be able to call every night. You know that. I would do anything to hear her voice when I can so you know that if I don't call there is a good reason." Derek told her, his voice raising some.

"I don't believe you honestly." Sheva told him calmly. Ayanna was now turned around, looking up at her with big and worried eyes, wondering who she was talking to. Sheva smiled down at her and ran her free hand through her hair, trying to comfort her.

"What do you mean you don't believe me? You don't think I would do anything for my daughter?" He asked and she could tell he was getting angry but she still had to stay calm for Ayanna.

"If you would then we be in this position right now." Sheva told him in all honesty. He let out a loud irritated and annoyed yell casing both Sheva and Ayanna to jump. "Ayanna is right here, you said you wanted to talk to her right? Here she is." Sheva quickly told him, afraid that if she didn't stop him there they would be having a full-fledged argument in front of Ayanna.

"Always using her to get out of arguments… just give her the phone." Sheva was ready to yell at him right then and there but she held it back and smiled down at Ayanna once again.

"Sweetheart, daddy wants to talk to you. Let's get you all situated for bed and then you can talk to him ok?" Sheva told her as she stood up and pulled back the sheets on Ayanna's side of the bed. Ayanna excitedly climbed up onto the bed and got under the covers. Once she was comfortable on the bed Sheva passed the phone to her which she answered with an excited "Hi daddy!"

"Hey ladybug! What's up?" He answered happily. Sheva could tell he was still irritated but was trying to be happy for Ayanna's sake. At east that as one thing he could hide well enough.

"Mommy is going to go take a shower really quick and I will be back in a minute ok?" Sheva told Ayanna as she bent down and gave her a kiss while tuning on the lamp on the nightstand next to her. Ayanna nodded and continued talking to her father. Sheva walked across the hall into the bathroom and shut the door. She grabbed a towel out of the closet and squeezed it as hard as possible, trying now to yell out in anger. She wanted to scream in his face, throw something at him, slap him, anything to show him how mad she was but she couldn't. So she settled with throwing the towel as hard as she could on the floor.

Sheva took a few shaky deep breaths to try and calm down but it wasn't working. She turned the shower on and got in, letting the water cascade down her body. A tear threatened to fall but she leaned her head back and blinking. She told herself she wasn't going to cry over him anymore, she wasn't going to let his words hurt her anymore. She was going to be strong not only for herself but for Ayanna.

0000

"Alright ladybug, I have to go and you need to get some sleep too. I love you so much, ok?"

"I love you too daddy. Can I ask you something?" Ayanna asked shyly.

"Of course, what is it?" Derek chuckled. "What were you and mommy talking about before you talked to me?" She asked, afraid to hear the truth.

"Oh… mommy just go upset over something. It was nothing really…" He told her nervously. "Was it me?" She asked sadly.

"No no no, of course not it wasn't about you. It was just mommy." He said again. Ayanna began to get upset, she knew it wasn't just her.

"Mommy doesn't just get mad over nothing!" Ayanna pouted, he was insulting her and it wasn't making her happy.

"Ayanna, who are you raising your voice at?" Derek asked calmly, putting her in check. He didn't like that she thought she could talk to him like that. Especially when it was against him.

"You were hurting my feelings, you were being mean to mommy. I heard you!" Ayanna told him, crying now. "Don't cry sweetheart, I wasn't being mean to mommy." He tried to tell her, beginning to get nervous and afraid she wouldn't want to talk to him anymore.

"I'm want go to sleep…" Ayanna hiccupped and Derek sighed "Alright you can go to sleep. I'm gonna call you tomorrow. Love you. Goodnight." He told her once again. "I love you too, goodnight." The call ended.

Ayanna wiped her eyes and looked on her mother's phone at her recent calls. She saw Chris' name and out of curiosity click it. The phone began to ring and Ayanna place it to her ear. After 3 rings Chris picked up.

"Hey Shev." He answered.

"Hi Mr. Chris…" Ayanna responded sadly.

Chris sat up in his bed and turned on the lamp on his end table causing his dog Red to sit up on the end of the bed and look around confused.

"What's wrong? Where is your mom?" Chris asked, he could tell she was crying from the sniffles and hiccupping.

"She's in the shower." Ayanna answered. "What's wrong?" Chris asked again.

"My daddy is being mean to mommy. He called while mommy was doing my hair and I heard him being loud and mommy looked sad." Ayanna cried out and began to sab openly. Chris was mentally freaking out on the other line, he didn't know how to get her to stop crying and he knew Claire and Leon were sleeping and she would wake them up if she kept going.

"Ok. Stop crying for a minute, I know you're upset but you don't want to wake Mr. Leon and Mrs. Claire up, ok? Just take a few deep breaths." Chris told her calmly, and relaxed once he heard her trying to breathe and clam down. As soon as he knew she composed herself, he began to talk again. "Ok, first I want to tell you that your mom is very strong and brave. You need to be strong for her too alright? When she gets out of the shower it is going to make her really sad when she sees you cry and I know you don't want that so try to wipe your tears away and be a big girl for her. I know that it is hard for you because you are young and you don't understand what is happening between your mom and dad. All I can tell you is that they are still trying to figure things out. They both love you very much, just remember that."

"Thank you Mr. Chris. I feel better now." Ayanna thanked him with a smile on her face that he couldn't see but he could hear it in her voice. Chris smiled on the other line and answered "no problem, feel free to call me anytime but make sure it is ok with your mom next time ok?" Chris chuckled. "I will!" Ayanna answered.

Chis leaned back down in his bed with a happy sigh and turned the lamp back off. He was about to say something to Ayanna but he heard Sheva on the other line.

"Are you still talking to daddy?" He could hear her muffled voice over the phone.

"I'm talking to Mr. Chris." Ayanna answered innocently.

"What? How did you call him? Give me the phone." He heard Sheva say and chuckled to himself. The phone was given to Sheva while Ayanna explained how she called him.

"Hello?"

"Yeah I'm here." Chris chuckled once again.

"I'm sorry Chris, she was talking to her father and I guess she just clicked your name when she saw it and called you. I'm really sorry if she woke you up." Sheva quickly apologized.

"Its fine Shev, she just wanted to talk. I told her she could call me anytime as long as she has your permission." Chris explained to her.

"Oh, ok thanks. Well what did you guys talk about?" Sheva asked concerned. "Well when she called, she was crying saying that Derek was being mean to you and that you were sad, then she started crying. I got her to stop and I talked to her some and now she's ok." Chris explained what happened.

"Oh… well I appreciate you talking to her so much Chris, you have no idea. I'm going to let you get some sleep now. Sweet dreams."

Chris smiled at the saying his mom used to tell him every night and said his goodnight back then they disconnected. Sheva quickly put her pajamas on and got in bed. She pulled Ayanna close to her in a motherly embrace and kissed her forehead.

"Sweetheart, you know you can always talk to me if you are upset about and me and daddy right?" Ayanna nodded and snuggled up with her more.

"Why is daddy mean to you?" Ayanna asked innocently.

"Daddy isn't mean… he's just doesn't know how to express himself." Sheva told her with a sigh.

"Daddy said you were upset for nothing when I talked to him and it made me mad because I know you don't get mad over little things. I told him that and he got mad at me." Ayanna explained.

"Thank you for telling me… I'll talk to him about that." Sheva bit her lip and rolled her eyes at his behavior. She had a few words to say to him for sure.

"Will he be mad at me? I don't want him to be mad." Ayanna questioned worried.

"No he won't… you'll be ok. Let get some sleep ok?"

"Ok, goodnight mommy, I love you." Ayanna told her and gave her a kiss.

"I love you too, baby girl. Goodnight." And together they drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

A/N: Sorry this was kind of late and sad. The next chapter will be better though! Don't forget to tell me what you think!

~Sheva Redfield


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thank you guys for all the support! I appreciate it more than you know!

 ***Disclaimer: I do not own Chipotle… Great now I'm hungry…***

Sheva woke up the next morning feeling more refreshed than she did last night. She looked down in her arms to see Ayanna sleeping peacefully and smiled, pushing the loose hair out of her face and kissed her forehead. She didn't look like she was going to wake up anytime soon so Sheva decided to get a head start on the day. She slowly untangled Ayanna from her and got out of bed, being sure not to wake her up. She slipped her slippers and robe on then reached over to retrieve her phone from the nightstand and unhooked it from the charger. Sheva stood up and left the room, quietly shutting the door behind her.

Sheva strode down the hall and to the living room to see Leon and Claire in a loving embrace. She felt a pang of jealousy for the redhead and her relationship. She shook her head, clearing the bad thoughts before walking to the couch, making her presence known.

"Hey Shev, you're up early." Claire observed once she noticed Sheva enter the room. Sheva looked confused for a minute then turned on her phone screen to look at the time. It was 7:40. Sheva just sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"I guess I wasn't that tired…" Sheva joked.

"You want some coffee?" Leon asked as he separated from Claire and headed to the kitchen.

"Yes please." Sheva answered and occupied Leon's spot on the couch.

"Hey Claire can I ask you something without you getting the wrong idea?" Sheva asked but regretted it once she saw Claire's excited expression.

"Anything best friend… who is crushing on my brother!" Claire said, mumbling the last part quickly to prevent Sheva from hearing it which failed. Sheva rolled her eyes and nudged her friend then spoke.

"I was just wondering if you could tell me where Chris worked… I know it's at the BSAA but could you tell me the address, where his office is and when his lunch is?"

"Of course! I would love to inform you where to go for your lunch date!" Claire said excitedly and watched as Sheva chuckled a bit at her then continued "I'll send you the address so you can copy and paste it in your GPS and his lunch is at 12:30. When you go in, the front desk will be right there and you can tell the lady there that you are here to eat lunch with Chris, she will contact him if he is in his office and tell him then he will say if you can come up or not. Of course he will say yes because he probably wanted to have a lunch date with you too." Claire informed her.

"Ok thanks Claire. How far is it from here?" Sheva asked ignoring the last think Claire said.

"It's about 20 minutes away. You should probably leave here at 12 though. Just in case you get lost." Claire told her with a chuckle.

Leon came out with two cups of coffee in his hands and handed one to Sheva.

"Thank you." She thank him and he responded with a "no problem." He then leaned over to Claire and gave her a loving kiss.

"Love you." He told her once the kiss ended.

"Love you too, be safe at work." Claire responded.

"I will, see you later Shev." Leon said and was out the front door.

Claire took a long drink of her coffee then decided to start a conversation since it got quiet and she hated silence.

"So… why are you going to go visit Chris at work?" She asked as she placed her mug down on the glass coffee table in front of them.

"Well I want to buy him some lunch since he bought me and Ayanna McDonalds yesterday and I also want to thank him for… something that happened last night." Sheva told her, getting quiet as she remembered what happened the night before.

"Oh yeah… he handled that pretty well last night didn't he?" Claire asked. Sheva looked at her with a raised eyebrow then realized she must have heard what happened. At this realization, Sheva put her mug down by Claire's and began to apologize.

"Claire I'm so sorry I-" Sheva began but Claire stopped her with a hand and a shake of her head.

"Don't apologize Sheva, nothing was your fault." Claire scolded her slightly. "You are an amazing mother alright? You were not the one who made Ayanna cry. Derek was. Don't apologize for him, he needs to learn to do that himself and if he doesn't I will go down to Africa and teach him a lesson in respect myself." Claire told her, getting slightly angry towards the end.

"Thanks Claire… I know I'm not a bad mother it's just I feel like I should have stayed with Ayanna and not left her to deal with that herself. I feel even worse that she called Chris because now he probably thinks I'm a bad mother for letting my 4 year old call him in the middle of the night crying about her father. So now I have to go apologize to him about that." Sheva explained with guilt in her voice.

"Sheva I can guarantee you that Chris does not think you are a bad mother. He admires you as a mother, he told me himself last night!" Claire told her and reached for her phone on the arm of the couch to show Sheva the text messages he sent to her. She pulled them up and handed the phone to Sheva. Sheva read the text messages and a small smile came on her face,

 _Claire: So how was your day with Sheva?_

 _Chris: It was great, she's such an amazing person, and I don't know why you didn't introduce me to her when you went to Africa to visit her the first time_

 _Claire: That's great and I didn't introduce you because she was married and pregnant at the time. I went down there to be with her when she had Ayanna and trust me she was soo moody. She would have broken your neck knowing you lol_

 _Chris: She couldn't have been that mean. She's so nice now._

 _Claire: I know she is but at that time her hormones were going crazy she even kicked me out once for saying that she needed to take a nap lol_

 _Chris: Wow…_

 _Claire: Yeah she was a bully :P but anyways what did you guys do?_

 _Chris: We went to McDonalds after we left her house and on our way to the dealership she told me about her and Derek. I actually think she is stronger than me (mentally… I don't know maybe physically too lol) but I have never met a woman who would stay with a man she knew was cheating just for their child. That's love right there. But anyway we go to the dealership and she was trying a car then Ayanna started acting up and I kinda raised my voice at her but it was all fine in the end. That's basically all._

 _Claire: She is stronger than you, no offense bro haha but yeah she's such a selfless person and a sweetheart_

 _Chris: Yeah she is. But I need to go now and get some shut eye. I'll talk to you later. Love you_

 _Claire: Love you too gn_

 _Chris: gn_

"You look so silly Shev." Claire giggled at her friend. While she was reading the texts, her face had the biggest and silliest smile on it. Her cheeks were also a deep red.

At Claire's observation Sheva stopped reading the texts and fixed her face. She couldn't stop a small smile from forming on her lips. Sheva handed the phone back to Claire and tucked some hair behind her ear.

"You guys are too sweet. But you didn't have to tell him about how I was during pregnancy!" Sheva told her with a small laugh as she slapped her friends arm. Claire laughed with her and responded "I'm just giving him a head up for when you guys get married and he wants more babies and I become an auntie! Well I already am Ayanna's auntie in a way." This caused both of them to laugh more and more.

"Ok ok but seriously… you guys would be amazing together." Claire told her in all seriousness once the laughing died down.

"I don't know Claire, I literally _just_ met him." Sheva told her with a shake of her head.

"Stop making excuses! You make it seem like you are not trying to be happy! Other than how long you guys have known each other, what else is stopping you?"

"Ayanna is, I can't just hop into a new relationship that fast… it'll be too much for her." Sheva explained with a sigh. She really did want to be happy and deep down she didn't want to give Chris a chance but it wasn't only about her. She had a daughter and she had to make sure that she was ok with someone before she tried anything.

"Ayanna loves Chris! I mean you would have to be blind not to see it! Sheva come on… Chris is a great guy and I'm not only saying that because I'm his sister. He is so loving and caring and selfless. He really needs someone to love in his life and you are that person! When he looks at you I can just see how much he likes you, dare I say loves you!" Claire told her.

"No not you too." Sheva said as she ran her hand through her still curly hair.

"What do you mean?" Claire asked confused.

"The lady at the dealership said Chris' eyes dilated when he looked at me and that meant he was in love." Sheva explained. Claire jumped up from the couch so fast and sighed.

"Oh my goodness Sheva! Even a STRANGER said that he loves you! Can you not take a hint? Don't make me play matchmaker Sheva. I will and you know I will!" Claire threatened half serious and half playfully.

Sheva sat and thought for a minute before looking at her best friend who was standing with her arms crossed waiting for a reply.

"Ok Claire… do not say anything to him or I will chop your head off. But I think I might have some feelings for him…"

"No dip Sherlock." Claire retorted sarcastically earning a glare from Sheva before she continued.

"I'm going to give Chris a chance but I want to do it on my own. So no matchmaking for you ok?"

Claire looked like she was going to explode with happiness so instead of answering she basically tackled Sheva on the couch with a bear hug before jumping up again and dancing around.

"Yay! I broke the spell! She can love again!" Claire said dreamily as she spun around in circles.

"Shut up Claire! My baby is sleeping!" Sheva told her playfully as she drank the rest of her warm coffee. Claire sat next to her out of breath and proceeded to drink her coffee also. The two talked for another few hours before they were interrupted by a loud THUD and Ayanna's loud crying.

Sheva's motherly instincts kicked in and she darted out of the living room to the bedroom to see Ayanna on the floor holding her head. Sheva immediately rushed over to her and picked her up.

"What happened baby? Are you ok?" Sheva asked as she sat on the bed and cuddled her daughter. Claire stood at the doorway looking worried and confused. Ayanna didn't respond and continued to cry with rubbing her head. Sheva pieced everything together and came to the conclusion that Ayanna had fallen out of the bed.

"Is she bleeding?" Claire asked from the doorway.

"Let me see where you hit your head, sweetheart." Sheva told Ayanna calmly. She had been through this before so she knew the last thing she needed to do was freak out and worry Ayanna more. When she didn't move her hands, Sheva grabbed them in her own and moved the hair out of the way to see if there was a bump or any bleeding. She didn't see anything so she kissed the spot on her head then gave her another kiss on the cheek.

"She's not bleeding and there is no bump so she most likely fell legs first. Luckily there is carpet or it could have been worse." Sheva told Claire as she rocked Ayanna.

"Ok that's good. I'm gonna go get her an ice pack and hopefully that will help." Claire said then left the room. Sheva stood up with Ayanna in her arms and walked back into the living room where she continued to walk back and forth rocking her. She kissed the spot on her head once again and asked her if it felt better. Ayanna nodded and cuddled up to Sheva.

Sheva let out a small chuckle and Claire came back with the icepack in a small towel and handed it to Sheva. She thanked her and placed it on Ayanna's head then sat on the couch with Ayanna in her lap.

"So are you taking Ayanna with you?" Claire asked Sheva once she was settled then added "If you don't want to I can watch her. We can go out and have an A&A day."

"What is an A&A day?" Sheva asked with a chuckle. Claire came to sit by Sheva where Ayanna could see her and answered "Ayanna and Auntie Day!" In an excitable tone that made Ayanna smile at her. Sheva smiled at the tow and said it was up to Ayanna.

"Do you want to come hang out with Auntie Claire? We can go shopping for cute clothes and new toys!" Claire asked Ayanna as she reached out for her. Ayanna went to Claire's arms and was pulled into Claire lap. She nodded with a smile once she was settled.

"Yay we are going to have so much fun!" Claire told Ayanna as she stood up and danced around with her while humming 'Beauty and the Beast' earning a few giggles from her and Sheva.

"Well I guess I will leave her with you. But don't spend too much on her or I will feel bad." Sheva told her as she stood up and handed the ice pack to Ayanna who put it on her head.

"Man, forget your feelings!" Claire told her jokingly. "We are going to get matching outfits and we are going to get a kit so we can make bracelets."

Sheva playfully shook her head and checked the time on her phone. It was 11 exactly.

"Ok fine but don't come back with more than she needs. I'm going to start getting ready and get an outfit for Ayanna for you guys' A&A day." Sheva said while doing the quotes with her hands. She walked to the guest bedroom and pulled out a cute light purple dress with some white sandals for Ayanna and picked out a black off shoulder back top with some dark jeans.

As she was looking for shoes she came across some back heels and thought 'why not?' After the outfits were picked out Sheva went to the bathroom and curled her hair with more loose waves than yesterday and did her makeup like she usually did on a casual day. Once she was done with that she called Ayanna to the bathroom to do her hair so Claire didn't have to. She just straightened it and let her wear it down. This all took Sheva 30 minutes then she got her and Ayanna dressed including jewelry, lotion, perfume etc. which took another 20. Now she was rushing to get out of the door.

As she was gathering her things she asked Claire to text her the address to Chris' job, his favorite restaurant, and what he eats from there. Claire sent her all of the information she needed, she gave Ayanna a kiss, told Claire bye and was on her way.

0000

Sheva pulled up to the large BSAA North American Branch building at 12:28 and parked her car. Luckily she understood the GPS and didn't get lost once. The only problem she had were the other drivers, she was honked at twice but the same person even though she wasn't doing anything wrong. She ignored them and got here on time so it was a win for her. Sheva grabbed her purse and the Chipotle bag of her and Chris' lunch and walked into the building. She was hit with a cool breeze as the electronic door welcomed her in.

Sheva walked to the front desk which was right were Claire said it would be.

"Hi how may I help you?" The lady asked Sheva politely once she approached.

"Hi um I was wondering if I could bring some lunch to Chris Redfield?" Sheva told her holding up the bag of food.

"Are you staying or dropping it off?" The woman asked. "Staying." Shave told her.

"Well Me. Redfield is in the gym but you can go let him know you are here and he will just take you to his office." The woman told her as she handed Sheva a visitor badge that Sheva put on.

"Um, where can I find the gym?" Sheva asked.

"Down this hall, you can't miss it there are glass windows and a bunch of sweaty men." The woman joked. Sheva chuckled and thanked the woman before going down the hall she was directed. Sheva immediately saw the gym and stood in the glass window to see if she could find Chris. She looked for a few seconds then saw Chris with his hack to her lifting weights and talking to a recruit. Sheva's cheeks instantly turned red when she saw him because he was shirtless and she was pretty sure she was ogling at him. She didn't know why she was acting like this now, the first time she met him he was shirtless so what was the difference? Oh yeah, he was lifting weights and showing off his large muscles.

Sheva snapped out of her thoughts and decided to go in and get his attention. Sheva opened the door to the gym and her nose automatically wrinkled up in disgust. It smelt like sweat but she was expecting it. As she walked into the gym more the men started to stare at her with flirtatious looks. Sheva shyly waved to them and hurried to Chris. Since he was facing the opposite direction Sheva decided to sneak up on him. She tried to make her way to him quietly but her heels were clacking on the floor. Sheva shook her head at herself and decided to just walk to him. She made it to him without him noticing and bent down right by his ear and whispered "Boo."

Chris slowly turned around to see who was whispering and did a double take when he saw Sheva.

"Sheva what are you doing here?" He asked with a smile as he put the weight down.

"I came to eat lunch with you! And I got your favorite! Surprise!" Sheva said excitedly while doing jazz hands.

Chris chuckled and pulled her into a hug.

"Thank you, but you didn't have to buy mine." Chris told her once the hug ended.

"I know, I just wanted to be nice." Sheva told him with a smile.

"Of course you do." Chris told her returning the smile. Then his expression changed to a more professional one as he talked to the recruits.

"Alright guys! Lunch break. Be back here at 1500. For every minute you are late its 15 pushups." Chris commanded.

They all responded in unison with a "Yes sir!"

Chris nodded at hearing this and told them "Dismissed." As they were leaving the gym, one of the recruits turned and got Chris' attention.

"Hey Capitan?"

"Yes Rodgers?" Chris answered, turning to look at him.

Rogers paused for a second as if thinking about what he was going to say before he looked up at Chris with a mischievous smirk.

"Don't have too much fun with your little girlfriend, you need to be back her by 1500 too!" He said quickly and waited for Chris' response to see if he was in trouble or if he took it as a joke. Chris looked at him for a second, a small smirk coming across his face as he waved the agent off.

"Oh yeah Rodgers?" Chris caught him before he was too far.

"Yes Captain?" Rodgers answered as he put his head in the door just in time to see a stress ball coming towards his face. It smacked him right between the eyes before he could raise his hand up.

"Bull's-eye." Chris whispered once it hit him earning a giggle from Sheva.

"Nice one Captain." Rodgers chuckled then picked up the ball and left.

"Are they always like that?" Sheva asked shaking her head playfully.

"Yeah… I can be strict but we have fun too."

"That's nice." Sheva said with a smile. It got quiet for a moment before Chris spoke up.

"Shall we go up to my office?" Chris asked as he reached for his shirt and put it on.

"Lead the way… Capitan." Sheva giggled and did a salute.

"Remind me to teach you to properly salute over lunch." Chris chuckled and grabbed his bag. They made it to the gym door and Chris let Sheva through before turning off the lights and closing the door.

A/N: I think this was the longest chapter I've written for this story. But stay tuned for the next chapter because that's when things get good… I guess, haha. Don't forget to tell me what you think!

Leon S. K.: If you really don't like my writing and you just want to keep on coming back to leave unnecessary reviews then don't read it. I didn't delete the review because I was scared, I deleted it because it was just unnecessary. A lot of people care about Chris and I think that he IS the franchise but that is just my opinion and we all have our own. I respect yours and I would appreciate it if you would resect mine as well. I didn't delete your comment and no one agreed with you, I am going to be honest though. People probably do agree with you because I know that not everybody will like what I choose to write but they have enough respect that they keep it to themselves. This is the last time I am going to respond to one of your reviews unless I feel the need to and I am deleting the one you posted. Have a nice day!

Uncle Scrooge: Thank you and I'm not worried about them! Sorry I didn't mean to make you cry! I guess the feels hit too hard haha. I will continue it and I'm glad you enjoy. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!

Wilburforcemoney: Thanks!

Moira Burton: I was so happy when I saw it was you! It's been so long! Thank you for still reading, I appreciate it! Thank you, I've been practicing, haha. I see what you did there, haha! You always crack me up! Don't worry, they are the least of my concerns and they are not getting a rise out of me at all. I just ignore them and look at the positive feedback I get! But hey they must like something about the story because they keep coming back, haha. But no worries, I am perfectly fine! Thank you, I hope you are doing tremendously well also! XOXO

Guest: I got your review as I was typing and it made me want to work faster! Thank you, I appreciate you taking the time to tell me that and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

~Sheva Redfield


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Sorry for this being late… my weekend was quite hectic but I still made time to update for you guys! Enjoy!

0000

"Yep, I was captain of the football team for two years in high school." Chris admitted to Sheva proudly. As they sat and ate their lunch, Chris and Sheva learned more about each other. They talked about school, relationships and a bunch of other things. It seemed as they were learning more about each other in this short time than people learn about each other in weeks.

"Well believe it or not, I was a cheerleader… I was co-captain though. We moved before I got promoted." Sheva told him with the same proud tone.

"I believe it. I can imagine you being that one preppy girl in high school that all the guys were flocking over and you dating a football player." Chris chuckled. Sheva rolled her eyes and punched his arm.

"I only dated one football player and it was because my friend forced me to because she was dating his best friend. We only lasted a week though." Sheva blushed, slightly embarrassed.

"Well now I know someone has a hard time keeping men." Chris observingly joked.

"Really? What was your shortest relationship?" Sheva asked, crossing her arms.

"… A day." Chris admitted. Sheva burst out laughing at him, thinking it was a joke.

"No seriously Chris. What was your shortest?" Sheva asked, her laughing dying down.

"I'm serious Shev." Chris told her seriously. Sheva looked at him for a second and realized he was telling the truth.

"Wow, when was it?" She questioned.

"In kindergarten, I gave this girl some of my lunch and she wanted more but I ate it so she broke up with me." Chris told Sheva sadly.

Sheva was very confused if he was seriously sad or not. She decided to be nice and take the situation seriously just on case.

"I'm sorry Chris that must have been hard. Especially for a kindergartener." Sheva told him as she rubbed his arm sympathetically.

"Yeah… I cried the rest of the day and she laughed at me. That's why I get so nervous to get into relationships." Chris confessed, still sounding upset.

"Chris, you are an amazing guy and any woman would be lucky to-," Sheva was cut off with Chris loud laughing. She sat there confused once again as Chris leaned back in his office chair and cover his face with his hands in a fit of laughter.

"I can't believe you fell for that!" Chris finally said through his laughter. "You are so easy to fool!"

"You jerk! I was trying to be a good friend!" Sheva told him with disbelief in her voice. She should have went with her gut and stopped the joke before it happened. Chris' laughing died down chuckling every now and then when he saw Sheva's angered expression.

"I still can't believe you did that..." Sheva said shaking her head.

"Are you mad at me?" Chris questioned with his bottom lip poking out. When Sheva glared at him he stood up and walked around the desk to her. "Please don't be mad at me! I'm sorry!" Chris mocked, sounding like a little kid. Once he reached Sheva he grabbed her in the chair and pulled her into a bear hug, rubbing his cheek on hers.

"Please please please don't be mad at me! I'm nice! I promise! I'll be good!" Chris begged in a childish tone.

"Get off me!" Sheva laughed, finally giving in and pushing his face away.

"Not until you say you forgive me!" He told her and began to tickle her stomach with got a big reaction from her. She giggled and squirmed in his grasp, laughing as hard as he was when he pranked her. Chris began to laugh too, not because of the tickling but because Sheva was laughing so hard, she began to uncontrollably, but cutely snort.

"Stop! I'm gonna pee!" She laughed out and leaned to her left in the chair. Chris stopped tickling her and grabbed her before she fell out of the chair. Sheva eventually caught her breath and calmed down, so did Chris. Once she did she looked up to Chris' face to see him looking down to her with a mischievous smirk on it.

"You are so mean, you know that?" Sheva chuckled.

"I'm only mean when I need to be. I had no other choice, you were mad at me." Chris told her. Sheva shook her head and looked down to her waist to where his hands were placed from when he caught her.

"I wasn't mad at you, you just pulled a mean joke and I was trying to be a nice person and be supportive."

"Hey I was being honest for the most part!" Chris defended himself as he removed his hands from her waist and crossed his arms.

"For the most part in the key word." Sheva murmured as she stood up from the seat. She looked at the clock above Chris' desk and saw it was 2:30. She grabbed the trash that was on the desk and threw it away in Chris' small office trashcan.

"Are you really mad Shev?" Chris asked in all seriousness.

"Of course not, Chris. Do I look like it?" Sheva questioned with a smile.

"No it's just that you threw the trash away like we were done." Chris observed.

"Because we haven't touched it in 15 minutes and I just want to talk. You can still eat but I'm all done with mine." Sheva told him as she dusted her hands of over the trash can then spoke again. "Besides I need to talk to you about something really important."

Chris instantly got nervous, he didn't know what is was but was worried that it was something bad or that she didn't want to be around him anymore. He shook off the bad thoughts and nervously walked to his seat. Sheva sat back down in her seat also with a sigh.

She looked into his eyes with a look that he couldn't understand. He relaxed when she smiled at him and grabbed his hands.

"Chris I just want to say thank you for last night, I meant to thank you when we were eating but we were just having such a nice conversation I forgot. But anyway just thank you for being there for Ayanna when I wasn't in the room. I can't thank you enough Chris. She adores you and it's just so amazing, I have never seen her so comfortable to call anyone in the middle of the night so she can talk to them about her feelings. And you… you just handled it so well, probably better than I would have. I don't know if you were sleeping or you were tired or anything but you still picked up the phone and talked her through that really hard situation for her. I am not trying to make you uncomfortable or anything but she loves you. She never said it herself but she doesn't have to. I can just tell, and for such a little girl who is always so shy to get used to you so quickly and already know that when you raise you voice at her it's not to hurt her feelings but it is because you really want to help her and teach her… that takes a long time Chris but you accomplished it in what? Three days? I meant what I said earlier about you being a great man even if it was when you were joking around. You are truly a blessing to have around and I hope you know that. I don't think there is anything in the world I can say that will show you how thankful I am for you being in our lives." Sheva poured her heart out to him and every word was as sincere as can be.

Chris' heart filled with joy at hearing these words. He felt truly happy that she thought so highly of him and that Ayanna loved him. It was at this moment that Chris realized all he wanted to do was care for those two and give them the respect and love they deserved. It scared him how he came to that conclusion in such little time but he knew deep down in his heart that was what he desired. He wished he could tell Sheva how he truly felt but now didn't seem like the right time. He would just have to keep those feelings at bay for a little while longer.

"Sheva you don't have to thank me, I love talking to Ayanna and I love that she's comfortable enough to talk to me about certain things. I appreciate everything that you have done and for giving me a chance. I care about you two so much and I'm glad that we met too. And you didn't make me uncomfortable, not at all. Ayanna loving me just makes me feel great and proud. I love her too, she's such an amazing little girl. Thank you for bringing her into this world, sorry if I'm sounding cheesy but I really mean it." Chris admitted then lifted up Sheva's hands to his lips and gave them a kiss before putting them back down.

Sheva was smiling ear to ear at his words, she didn't know if the kiss was romantic or friendly but she just wished she could tell him about her feelings but she didn't want to mess things up and ruin the bond that he and Ayanna had made. She thought about getting Claire involved but she remembered telling her that she wanted to do this by herself.

"You don't sound cheesy Chris." Sheva told him with a small chuckle. He smiled back at her then looked to the clock once more and sighed. It was about time for him to head back to the gym so he could get there before any of the other recruits.

"I better start heading back down to the gym." Chris pouted then let go of her hands reluctantly and stood up.

Sheva chuckled at his childish behavior and stood up from her seat also. They both cleaned up the rest of the food and trash then headed down to the gym together. The duo stood in front of the gym doors and said their goodbyes for now.

Sheva wrapped her arms around Chris' neck and he wrapped his around her waist in a tight embrace. The hug ended but they still held onto each other, looking each other in the eyes.

' _It's now or never_.' Chris thought and sighed nervously.

"Sheva… would you like to maybe go… you know… go somewhere and have a um… nice dinner and a movie maybe? I mean if you want to of course… if you don't its ok… but if you want to just… you know…" Chris rambled on nervously. Sheva looked at him with a perfectly arched eyebrow and a smile finding his nervous rambling adorable. He was asking her on a date! She felt like jumping around and squealing like a school girl but that would have to wait until later.

"Are you asking me out to a movie and dinner, Mr. Redfield?" Sheva teased, hoping to bring him out of his nervousness. It seemed to work because the nervousness on his face went away and turned into a grin.

"Maybe I am, it depends on what you think, Ms. Alomar." Chris told her flirtatiously.

"I think I would love that." Sheva told him, tilting her head to the side cutely. At this response, Chris pumped his fist in the air with a quiet "Yes!" then placed his hand back on her waist, acting like nothing happened. Sheva giggled at his excitement.

"Then it's a date! So how about Wednesday, I'll text you what movie I can find and the time after I get off work. Sound like a plan?" Sheva nodded, her smile still large.

"I'm going to go ahead go. Have a great rest of the day, we can video chat later if you want?" Sheva offered.

"Yeah, I'll call you when I get time after work."

"Alrighty, see you later Chris." Sheva told him and leaned in to kiss his cheek and he returned the kiss on her cheek. They gave each other on more hug before they separated and Sheva made her way out of the building. Chris happily sighed and opened the door to the gym. He walked into the large dark room and felt around for the light switch. Once he turned on the light, he was automatically bombarded by a bunch of stress balls being thrown at him by recruits.

"Captain's got a girlfriend! Captain's got a girlfriend!" They chanted and teased him, still throwing the balls at him.

"Stop it! Ok ok, you got me!" Chris told them and raised his hands to surrender.

They stopped throwing the balls and crowded around him with questions. Chris looked to the clock.

There were still 3 minutes, he could answer just a few question.

0000

A/N: And done! I hope I didn't rush anything…Don't forget to tell me what you think!

Elisona Wesker: Aw, thank you for taking the time to review and it means a lot that you told me that! Yeah, I really just need a break from Chris and Jill right now… and forever, haha. No I'm kidding, Jill's cool… just not for Chris. Yeah, I wish the game showed them bonding more. Haha, I will thank you! I think I can portray it so well because I came from a split family and my dad is remarried so I know the pain. Haha that was my favorite part of that chapter. I hope you enjoyed!

Wolfspiritqueen: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

: Thank you, I've been told I have a lot of imagination! I do too! I'm glad I could convince you, the thing I want to see most out of the characters is them having a family. I'm a big family person (if you couldn't tell… which you probably could haha). Thank you, hugs!

Light of Moon 12: ¡Gracias lo aprecio! ¡Espero que lo hayas disfrutado!

Thank you, I appreciate it! I hope you enjoyed!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Sorry this was late but enjoy!

Sheva happily walked back to her car, her smile not leaving her face for a second. As she sat in her car she closed her eyes and thought about how their date would be. Before she could get deep into thought, her phone began to ring. A frown appeared on her face as she reached for the loud ringing device.

"Hello?" Sheva answered without knowing who was on the other line.

"Hey Shev, I was just wondering when you would be back, Ayanna misses you… a lot. She's been crying for you since we got back and nothing I do will calm her down…" Claire's worried voice came over the phone.

"Well we just finished so I will be back in about ten minutes. You think you can handle her for that long?" Sheva asked with a sigh.

"Yeah sure… this better be worth it." Claire told her in a pout then hung up the phone. Sheva chuckled at Claire's attitude and put her seat belt on. She carefully pulled out of the parking lot and drove her way back to the house.

0000

"Ok Ayanna, Mommy will be back in a couple of minutes ok?"

When Ayanna continued to cry and gave no response, Claire rose from the couch with a sigh and began to walk to the kitchen, maybe some candy would help.

As soon as Ayanna realized Claire was walking away from her, her cries grew louder and she got up from the couch and followed her like a duckling. Claire stopped once she noticed this and crossed her arms, watching as Ayanna walked towards her still crying. Once she made it to Claire, she reached her arms up to be picked up and Claire shook her head no causing Ayanna to sprawl out on the floor in a temper tantrum.

Claire shook her head with a small smile and continued her way to the kitchen to pour herself a cup of juice. Once she did she walked back out of the kitchen and to the living room, past Ayanna who was still on the floor bawling, and sat down on the couch to drink. She pulled out her phone from her pocket and decided to pass time by playing a game, completely ignoring Ayanna who was making her cries louder for attention. This went on for about seven minutes until the doorbell rang.

Claire got up from the couch and calmly walked to the door and opened it to reveal Sheva with a smile on her face. Claire returned the smile and stepped to the side to allow Sheva to walk in, then closed the door behind her. Sheva walked in and once she looked to her screaming daughter on the floor, her whole expression changed.

"Ayanna!" Sheva yelled her name loudly, causing her thick accent to show. Ayanna immediately got quiet and sat up, knowing that when her accent was strong that she was really upset.

"Come here right now!" Sheva yelled again, pointing a finger down at the floor in front of her. Ayanna began to cry softly, this time from fear. She didn't move but sat there looking at her mom with fearful eyes.

"Five, four…" Sheva began to count down. Ayanna scrambled up off the floor and ran to stand in front of her angry mother, still in a fit of tears. Sheva stopped counting and got on Ayanna's level, looking her dead in the eyes. She tried to cover her eyes but Sheva quickly grabbed her hands in hers and brought them down, forcing Ayanna to look at her.

"Mommy… I didn't… I'm sorry… please I'm sorry!" Ayanna blubbered through sobs and sniffles.

"Don't even start, I don't want to hear ANY of that. Do you understand? Why do I come back in the house to see you laying on the floor like a baby, crying your eyes out?" Sheva asked angrily, she got even angrier when Ayanna cried and shrugged her shoulders.

"No, you know exactly why you did that. Tell me why you did that before you really get in trouble!"

"I donno Mommy! I sorry…" Ayanna cried. Sheva popped the back of her hand at her response and Ayanna pulled her hand away with a loud cry.

"I want you to go to the guest room and stand in a corner until I come to deal with you. If I hear you crying, or if you move from out of the corner you will be in a lot more trouble. Understood?" Sheva scolded her as she pointed down the hall where their room was. Ayanna nodded and ran down the hall and into the room, closing the door behind her.

Sheva sighed and rubbed her forehead. Claire had already taken a seat on the couch and patted the spot on the couch next to her. Sheva sat down next to her friend and looked her in the eyes for an apology but before Sheva could open her mouth, Claire shushed her.

"Don't worry about it Shev, she just missed you. You don't need to punish her." Claire told her as she rubbed her back.

"I get that but she knows better than to throw a temper tantrum and have a fit like that." Sheva explained.

"Still, just give her a break. She might even have separation anxiety."

"I don't know Claire, I really doubt it… and I'm not going to punish her, I'm just gonna talk to her."

"That's exactly what my mom said as she grabbed the belt from the closet…" Claire joked, earning a little laugh from Sheva.

"You poor thing." Sheva chuckled.

"Enough about my terrible childhood with Mr. Pain… how did the lunch date go?" Sheva smiled at the nickname and cleared her throat.

"Well, we ate… and talked. That's all." Sheva shrugged her shoulders, waiting for Claire's reaction.

"Sheva don't play with me! Give me the details!" Claire whined and shook her friend.

"Ok fine, we talked about relationships and he told me about his shortest one and I told him mine…"

"Great way to get a guy's Sheva…" Claire mumbled playfully, earning a glare from Sheva.

"Anyway he pulled a joke on m and he ended up hugging me and acting like a little kid, begging for my forgiveness…" Sheva chuckled at the memory then continued "then we sat down and I thanked him for talking to Ayanna last night. After that we walked down to the gym together and hugged goodbye… and then, he asked me out to a movie and dinner. I said yes and gave him a kiss on the cheek and he gave me one too then we parted." Sheva finished telling her with a smile, remembering the kisses. Claire interrupted her thoughts by jumping off the couch and doing some sort of happy dance chanting "Sheva's got a boyfriend!"

"Claire you're so stupid…" Sheva joked. Claire stuck her tongue out at her in response and continued to dance around. After a few more seconds of dancing, Claire calmed down and sat back on the couch.

"So what are you gonna wear?" Claire asked.

"I don't know… a nice top and some jeans maybe?" Sheva guessed.

"Jeans Sheva?! Jeans! Oh my gosh! I need to take you shopping and get your hair done… maybe your make-up too. When is this date?" Claire asked.

"Wednesday…" Sheva told her slowly to prevent her from being dramatic.

"So we will go shopping tomorrow, I'll was you up at 9." Claire told her then stood up and grabbed her empty cup to go wash it.

"Oh no, you are not waking me up at 9. Can't we go at 1 or something?"

"Nope, 9 Sheva!" Claire called from the kitchen.

"You may wake me up at 9 but I'm not leaving until 1." Sheva told her then stood up to go check on Ayanna.

"We'll see…" Claire called again. Sheva rolled her eyes with a small smile then walked down the hall to the guest room. She slowly opened the door to see Ayanna standing in the corner obediently.

Sheva sighed and sat on the edge of the bed and called Ayanna out of the corner. Ayanna made her way to where Sheva was sitting and she lifted her up on her bed and sat her up on her lap. Before anything was said, Sheva pulled Ayanna into a tight hug and kissed her now red nose.

"Are you still mad at me Mommy?" Ayanna asked innocently.

"I was never mad, just disappointed by the way you acted. I know that you know better than that." Sheva slightly scolded her.

"I'm sorry…" Ayanna apologized, knowing her mistakes.

"It's ok baby, I forgive you." Sheva told her as she gave her another kiss.

"I was really sad when me and Auntie Claire got back and you wasn't here."

"Weren't here." Sheva corrected her with a chuckle.

"When you weren't here." Ayanna repeated correctly.

"I know you miss me sometimes and I miss you but you can't just throw temper tantrums when I'm not around. I'm not going to always be around you, that's something you are going to have to get over ok? You are almost 5 and I'm putting you in preschool when I can and I won't be there every day." Sheva explained to her, ignoring her pouting about preschool.

"I don't want to go to preschool." Ayanna pouted and crossed her arms childishly.

"Well you are going. You're going to make so many new friends and learn so many new things! Doesn't that sound exciting?" Sheva asked in an enthusiastic voice, trying to excite Ayanna about school. Ayanna just shook her head in response.

"Well one day you'll like it." Sheva told her as she picked her up and walked back out to the living room back to Claire.

"When did you get her to start calling you Auntie?" Sheva asked once she sat down on the couch next to Claire.

"While we were shopping she just started calling me it." Claire told her with a shrug as she pulled Ayanna from her lap and placed her on hers.

"Are you feeling better little muffin?" Claire asked Ayanna as she squeezed her cheek. Ayanna nodded and gave Claire a hug with a small apology.

"It's ok, I know how hard it is to not be around your mommy for a long time. But I'm going to be watching you again on Wednesday because Mommy is going somewhere and we can't have any temper tantrums this time." Claire explained to her with a wink towards Sheva.

"Where are you going Mommy? Can I go?" Ayanna asked, her big eyes making it hard to say no.

"Mommy is going out with a friend for a little bit."

"Is it Mr. Chris? He's my friend. He's my best friend." Ayanna told them as she played with Claire's hair. The two chuckled at her and Sheva shook her head.

"Sweetheart, he can't be your best friend, he's a grown man. You need to make friends your age." Sheva tried to explain but Ayanna wasn't having any of that.

"He is my best friend! You can ask him!" She argued.

"Just leave it Shev, she's not dealing with it." Claire chuckled and Ayanna nodded in agreement. Sheva shook her head at her once again and stood up. Just as she did, the video chat on her phone began to go off. She checked it and saw it was Chris.

"Hey guys, I'll be right back ok?" Sheva told the two quickly then ran to the guest room and shut the door. She plopped on the bed and answered the video call. Both of their cameras turned on and Sheva could see Chris laying on his bed, partially under the covers with no shirt on.

"Hey Shev." He greeted her once he saw her face on the screen.

"Hey you…" She replied with an excited smile.

"You look great." Chris told her quietly causing her smile to grow bigger and her blush to increase.

"Thank y-," Sheva was cut off by Chris' yelling.

"No Spike! Not on the floor! Bad dog!" Chris yelled.

"Is everything ok…?" Sheva asked, feeling a bit awkward.

"My dog decided it was ok to take a large dump on my carpet floor in my room." Chris explained angrily.

"Oh… do you want to call me back later or…" Sheva began, unsure of where she was going with her sentence.

"No it's fine. I have a vacuum designed to get out dog poop. Don't ask why, I just do." Chris told her with a chuckle.

"Alrighty then… I won't ask." Sheva told him, putting a hand up as if surrendering.

"Hey so I um looked at the movies for Wednesday and they have a really cool looking horror movie and then there was a… comedy movie. Which one would you be more interested in?"

"Um… I think the horror movie. Just to warn you, I get scared easily." Shev warned with a chuckle.

"Fear not my lady! I will be your protector!" Chris told her in a hero like voice causing Sheva to giggle at him.

"Thank goodness, I was afraid I would have to call Spider-man." Sheva joked.

"What could Spider-man do that I can't?" Chris scoffed.

"Well he can shoot webs from his wrist, he can swing through the air with his webs and stuff… shall I continue?" Sheva teased, seeing the jealous expression on his face.

"He may have webs but I have muscle." Chris told her as he proudly flexed his muscles for her.

"That was a big ego boost for you huh?"

"Yep, I could see the attraction on your face already." Chris joked as he wiggled his eyebrows.

"Oh jeez, are you always like this?" Sheva asked with a playful smile.

"No, I'm not usually this cocky, I'm just really tired." Chris admitted as he rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"Well I can let you go if you want, I still have to get Ayanna ready for bed and have her eat some dinner." Sheva explained as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Did you call me mommy?" Ayanna asked from the door.

"On no sweetheart, I just said your name." Sheva told her.

"Oh, who are you talking to?" She asked as she climbed up on the bed and got right in front of the camera, partially sitting on Sheva's stomach.

"Hi Mr. Chris!" She said excitedly once she saw Chris on the screen.

"Hey Ayanna! How was your day?" Chris asked, all traces of sleep leaving his face.

"It was good. I went to the mall with Auntie Claire and she bought me toys and clothes and some candy and some food and I got a really pretty princess dress. I'm gonna go get it so I can show you!" Ayanna said eagerly and got up, slamming her elbow into Sheva's stomach in the process.

"Ouch, be careful Ayanna!" Sheva said and removed her elbow from her gut.

"Sorry mommy…" Ayanna apologized and kissed her stomach. "Better?"

"Yeah baby, much better." Sheva chuckled, still rubbing her injured stomach. Ayanna ran off out of the room leaving Chris and Sheva alone again.

"You okay?" Chris asked Sheva when he saw her cringe pressing down on her stomach.

"Yeah, I'm used to it." Sheva snickered. "You know, I have yet to see all that Claire bought her. I gave her a 30 dollar spending limit."

"I hope you know she probably spent over 50." Chris told her honestly.

"Great, Ayanna is going to think she can get whatever she wants when we go somewhere now." Sheva sighed, disappointedly. "I already came back here to see Ayanna on the floor having a temper tantrum. I really need to get her out of this habit. I want her to go to preschool but I can't send her if she throws a tantrum about everything that doesn't go her way."

"You need to be stricter with her, she needs to know that you are no nonsense when it comes to tantrums. What did you do when you found her on the floor having a tantrum?" Chris asked.

"I popped her hand and told her to go stand in the corner until I said she could come out and when I talk her she could, I just talked to her about her behavior and we were done." Sheva explained to him simply.

"Yeah, you need to be more strict because she might think 'oh well I can have a tantrum and just get a pop on the hand and a time out and be free of any other punishment' you know?"

"Yeah but what else can I do, the most I will do is pop her because she's only four and she's really sensitive."

"Just show her you mean business by changing your tone, you need to really make sure she knows she did something wrong and it's not going to all be ok in a matter of minutes." Chris said to her.

"It's really weird how you know all of this and you don't have any children." Sheva observed.

"It's just from experience growing up, I bet Claire already told you about Mr. Pain. Mr. Pain did play games… I would have taken your ways discipline any day." Chris admitted with a small laugh.

"Yeah, I guess I am really nice huh?" Sheva laughed.

"Too nice." Chris told her earning a shrug from Sheva.

"Mommy, look at my dress! I'm a princess!" Ayanna's loud voice interrupted them.

"You do look like a princess baby! Come show Chris!" Sheva told her, happy that she was so excited. She was wearing a dress that looked sort of like sleeping Beauty's dress but in purple and she had on little plastic shoes that came with the dress along with other accessories. Ayanna quickly made her way over to Sheva who showed Chris her outfit over the phone.

"Wow, you do look like a pretty princess. What's your princess name?" Chris asked enthusiastically.

"Um… Pretty Princess Ayanna!" She told them excitedly as she danced around, spinning in circles and jumping around. The two laughed at her care free attitude and continued to chat for another half hour before they had to hang up.

"I'll see you soon ok Ayanna?" Chris told her once he saw the sad expression on Ayanna's face from them having to go their separate ways.

"Okay… goodnight Mr. Chris…" She told him sadly.

"Goodnight, sleep well ok?" Ayanna nodded sadly once again then left the room to go eat the food Leon cooked once he returned from work.

"It makes me sad to see her upset that I have to go." Chris sighed once he knew she was out of the room.

"I know but you'll see her soon. The furniture will be here tomorrow so you can probably stop by the new house and see her when you get off work in you want? Well after I go shopping with Claire…" Sheva offered.

"Yeah, I'll be sure to stop by. Goodnight Shev, thanks for talking to me." Chris chuckled.

"No problem Chris, goodnight. See you tomorrow."

"See ya…" Chris said then Sheva blew a kiss at the screen which Chris pretended to catch and put on his cheek then they disconnected.

Sheva laid back happily on the bed with a sigh, her heart filling with happiness and excitement for their date on Wednesday. She would be sure to tell him how happy he was making her and make sure to give him the happiness he deserved.

A/N: Hey guys, I'm really really sorry for the late update, life has just been keeping me busy. I'm honestly not feeling this chapter because I felt rushed to post it and I am very tired at the moment but hey, I tried. I hope you enjoy this and don't forget to review! Lots of love!

Wolfspiritqueen: Haha thank you, sorry I had you waiting… again. Yeah they are! I love them! Thank you and I hope you enjoyed!

Luna Heartfilia: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed and sorry for the wait!

~Sheva Redfield


	10. Chapter 10

***Disclaimer: I do not own Walmart!***

After finishing dinner, Sheva and Ayanna bathed, brushed their teeth, and did their hair for the night. Sheva read Ayanna a story and they went to bed.

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"Mommy, get up!"

Sheva was woken up by Ayanna jumping on the bed on her knees, chanting at Sheva to get up. She continued to chant and began to shake Sheva's shoulder, seeing that the jumping was not working.

"Come on! Auntie Claire said it's time to wake up!" Ayanna whine to her mother who had yet to move from her position.

Sheva could clearly her Ayanna asking her to get, she just didn't feel like it. She knew that once she woke up, she would be forced to shop 'till she dropped… literally.

"She's not getting up, Auntie." Ayanna complained to Claire who was standing at the door.

"I knew she wouldn't get up. Go ahead and get off the bed sweetheart. Aunties got this." Claire told Ayanna then walked over to the side of the bed where Sheva was 'sleeping'. Once Ayanna hopped of the bed, Claire launched herself onto Sheva's back without warning causing Sheva to bolt up with a loud groan of annoyance.

"Ugh, Claire! Get off me!" Sheva moaned as she tried to push the redhead off of her.

"I'll get up once you promise to get up and get ready to go shopping!" Claire demanded, putting more weight on Sheva's back.

"I promise! Just please get off me!" Sheva agreed. Ayanna watched from the other side of the bed, giggling at the two. The really looked like real sisters in that moment

"…And you have to promise that you won't be a grumpy pants and try to get something nice!"

"I will, jeez! Now get off me, you moose!" Sheva joked, finally turning on her back while Claire struggled to stay on her.

"What do you want from me!" Sheva whined like a little kid.

"Gimme a hug!" Claire ordered then stood up some to open her arms. Sheva let out a playful sigh and hugged Claire, retending to gag when Claire kissed her cheek.

"Ew, I have cooties now…" Sheva said, pretending to be grossed out. Claire chckled at her then picked Ayanna up in her arms and told her "lets give your momma some time to wake up… you want some waffles?"

"Yay waffles!" Ayanna cheered as she pumped her fists up in the air. Sheva and Claire laughed at her excitement, Sheva sitting up and yawning right after. Claire took Ayanna out of the room, leaving Sheva alone to wake up some.

She ran a hand through her hair tiredly, swinging her feet over the edge of the bed and stood up, another yawn escaping her lips. She stretched and reached for her fully charged phone, turning on the screen and squinting at the light shining in her eyes in the dimly lit room. Sheva saw that she had received a message from Chris ten minutes ago and opened it to read it.

 _Hey, I hope you have an amazing day beautiful! I can't wait for tomorrow! See you when I get off work!_

 _Sent at 9:23 a.m._

Sheva smiled at his sweet message, she missed receiving good morning texts and being called beautiful. She happily sighed as she typed her response.

 _Thank you handsome! Same to you! I think I am more excited for tomorrow then you, haha. See you later! 3_

 _Delivered at 9:34 a.m._

Sheva placed her phone back down on the night stand and headed to the dining room where Ayanna was eating. She kissed her on the top of her head before stealing a cut up piece of waffle and a sip of her orange juice.

"Hey!" Ayanna whined playfully. Sheva giggled and stuck her tongue out at her, showing her the chewed up waffle on her tongue. Ayanna did the same but had a lot more waffle on her tongue. Claire grimaced at the two once she came out of the kitchen, carrying her toast.

"You to are gross…" Claire joked then headed to her bedroom to eat. Sheva smiled at her then walked into the kitchen to make herself a bowl of cereal, then came back out and sat down to eat with Ayanna.

While they were eating, Ayanna kept mentioning Chris in almost every sentence. Sheva was debating on if she wanted to tell Ayanna about their date tomorrow or just wait until later. She decided to tell her now since she thought so highly and since they were already on the topic of him.

"Hey Ayanna, how would you feel if mommy and Mr. Chris were to be together?" Sheva asked, slightly nervous thinking of all the terrible responses.

"You mean like be how you and Daddy were?" Ayanna asked as she finished sipping on her juice.

"Yeah." Sheva answered with a sigh. Ayanna's expression turned into a sad one as she thought about it.

"I don't want you two to be mad at each other like you and Daddy were…" Ayanna told her sadly.

"No no no, honey, Mommy and Mr. Chris wouldn't be mad at each other. We would be happy, I meant be together like… um how would I put this…" Sheva paused to think of how she would describe their relationship to her.

"Like you guys would kiss and stuff?" Ayanna innocently questioned, causing Sheva to chuckle a bit.

"Well yeah, but not right away. He would be my boyfriend."

"Like you and Daddy were?"

"No, me and Daddy were married, me and Mr. Chris would just be together but not like we are married. Do you get it?" Sheva questioned, not sure if she was sounding clear enough.

"I do… but what about Daddy? Will he still be my Daddy?"

"He will ALWAYS be your Daddy, even if me and Mr. Chris do get married at one point. If that happens Mr. Chris will be your step dad. He'll be like a Daddy but he won't be your real daddy." Sheva tried to explain but found it really confusing herself.

"Oh… ok, I get it. But won't Daddy be mad?"

"That doesn't matter." Sheva said without thinking. She winced once she realized how mean that must have sounded to Ayanna and tried to make a quick recovery. "I mean Mommy and Daddy will talk about that, ok? When you talk to Daddy you don't need to say anything to him."

"Ok…" Ayanna responded simply, seeming unaffected by the first remark.

"So… with that said, tomorrow me and Mr. Chris are going to go out for a while, and you missy, are going to stay with Auntie. You'll probably be asleep by the time I get back because I'll be leaving late." Sheva told her.

"Ok, but why can't I go?" Ayanna asked sadly.

"Because it is time for us to get to know each other and for us to see if we want to be girlfriend and boyfriend." Sheva tried to explain as nicely as she could.

"Oh… ok. Can you guys please be boyfriend and girlfriend?" Ayanna asked as she finished the least pieces of waffle.

"Why?" Sheva asked with a chuckle.

"Because I want you to be happy and I want Mr. Chris to be around more." Ayanna told her. Sheva smiled at her comment, she was so proud of her and amazed at how quickly she understood the situation.

"You are too sweet…" Sheva told her as she pulled her into a hug and gave her a kiss. She released her the grabbed her face, pushing her cheeks together until she had fish lips.

"Aw… my big girl, looking out for her mommy!" Sheva said in a baby voice as she placed kisses all over her face, causing Ayanna to laugh.

"You're silly mommy!" Ayanna giggled once her face was released.

"I know!" Sheva smiled then got serious "now let's clean up and get ready to go shopping. If you stay as god as you have been this morning and don't cry or have an attitude while we are in the store, I'll buy you a playground set while we are out. How does that sound?"

"It sounds great! I'll be good so I can get my play set. Can it be pink and purple and like a castle oh and can I get a sand box and a pool?" Ayanna asked excitedly.

"My my, you are just full of questions today… We'll have to see what they have alright?" Ayanna nodded her head excitedly and grabbed her plate to take to the kitchen. Sheva quickly finished the last bit of cereal she had and quickly cleaned the dishes, with Ayanna's help. Then they both left the kitchen to go get ready.

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1 hour later….

Claire, Sheva, and Ayanna where all dressed and headed to the mall.

"This is the same mall we went to yesterday!" Ayanna exclaimed as she pushed herself up in her seat.

"Uh huh, sit back down." Claire told her. Ayanna obeyed and settled back down in her seat. Claire quickly found a parking spot, not too far for the entrance.

"Ok we are going straight in, getting me an outfit, possibly looking for a playground set for Ayanna, and then leaving." Sheva told Claire as she exited the vehicle. "I need to go to the new house by 2, that's when the furniture truck gets there." Sheva finished as she helped Ayanna out of her car seat.

"We have 4 hours Shev, calm down. Besides it's not like you are going to walk in and find the perfect dress." Claire told her as she got out the car herself.

"Who said I was wearing a dress?" Sheva questioned, pulling Ayanna out of the car and shutting the door. Claire locked the car with a sigh.

"What are you guys doing on this date?" Claire asked, ignoring Sheva's question.

"Going out for a nice dinner and a movie." Sheva answered simply.

"Ok and wouldn't you want to wear something NICE for a NICE dinner and movie?"

"Something NICE doesn't have to be a dress, Claire." Sheva explained as they made their way across the parking lot and into the store. Claire immediately led Sheva to the dresses and they began looking, even though Sheva kept trying to look at anything other than that. Claire picked up 7 or 8 dresses for Sheva while she only picked up one, and Ayanna chose it for her.

"Claire can we just go to the fitting rooms now? It's already 12." Sheva asked, becoming annoyed with all the little they got done in an hour.

"Ugh, fine…" Claire agreed and they headed to the fitting rooms.

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"I like this one…" Sheva told Claire who was facing away from her.

"You've said that about every dress you tried on…" Claire murmured before turning to look at Sheva. She immediately took back what she said.

"Oh my gosh! Sheva you look great!" Claire gasped. Sheva wore a black two piece tube dress that complimented her form. The skirt piece of the dress had a slit that went up to Sheva's mid-thigh and had shiny black design around it. It was simple but elegant, both of what Sheva and Claire wanted.

"All we have to do is get you some heels and jewelry to match and you will be set! We can get your make-up and hair done tomorrow before you go." Claire told Sheva excitedly and hung up the other dresses that Sheva had already tried on.

Sheva quickly changed back into her own clothes and then the 3 walked to the jewelry section. Sheva quickly picked out some a set of black and silver jewelry and they made their way to the register. Sheva sighed as she swiped her card, lowering the amount on it by $100.

' _This better be worth it'_

Since Ayanna behaved well, they looked around the mall at different places to find a small playground for her. They easily found a set that Ayanna was happy with and call an assistant over to buy it.

"I'm sorry ma'am, this one is just for display. If you want to buy one you'll have to order it online. We can do that here for you if you want?" The woman offered.

"Umm… yeah I guess I can order it here." Sheva answered. The woman told them to follow her to her computer. Sheva reached for Ayanna's hand and looked down at her when she didn't grab it. Ayanna was standing with her arms crossed and a pout on her lips.

"Ayanna I don't have to buy you one at all if that's what you want?"

"No!" Ayanna cried then grabbed Sheva's hand, hoping to make up for her few seconds of attitude. Sheva nodded and then they caught up to Claire and the woman. They made it to the woman's desk and waited as she typed a few things on her keyboard.

"Oh, ma'am we are actually going to have a delivery at around two. Do you want me to save one for you to pick up?" The woman told her. Sheva looked down at Ayanna and debated if she was going to buy it for her.

"Please mommy?" Ayanna asked and squeezed Sheva's hand. With a sigh Sheva told the assistant that she want one saved.

"How long can you save it for me because I have to be somewhere by two?" Sheva asked as she once again swiped her card.

"We can save it until tomorrow but then we would have to give it away to someone because we are only having 2 come in and it's a popular item… but you will get a refund if that happens." She explained.

"Ugh… I won't be able to pick it up tomorrow and I can't wait here to get it…" Sheva sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"I'll drop you guys off at the house and then bring it to you alright? Don't stress Sheva." Claire told her best friend as she rubbed her back.

"Thanks Claire." Sheva thanked her with a grateful smile.

"No problem, I'll take the receipt." Claire told the woman. She handed her the receipt and the three made it out of the store by 1:10. Claire quickly dropped Sheva and Ayanna off at her house then dove back to the mall to wait for the playground.

Sheva placed everything that she needed for the new house like small decorations, paint, and paint brushes, in her trunk which took her about 20 minutes because of the multiple distractions from Ayanna.

Sheva quickly changed her and Ayanna into more comfy clothes, then locked up Claire's house before heading out the door to her own home.

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3 hours later…

"Alright guys, good work today. Remember that I will not be here tomorrow but I want to hear a good report when I come back Thursday. Understood?" Chris told his team.

"Yes Captain!" They all replied in unison.

"Dismissed." Chris told them then packed his bags.

"Have fun on your date tomorrow! Bring pictures!" Rodgers joked as he quickly ran out the door, trying to get away quickly before something could be thrown at him again.

Chris shook his head with a chuckle and rushed the rest of the team to get out of the gym. He wanted to go home and quickly shower to go see Sheva.

The gym was finally cleared out and Chris rushed to his office to gather the rest of his things then made his way to his car. As he sat in the hot vehicle, he decided to call Sheva and give her a heads up that he was coming. The phone rang 5 times before she answered.

"Hey Chris." Sheva's voice came over the phone.

"Hey Shev, I just wanted to let you know I just got off work. I'm gonna go home and freshen up a bit then I will be over." Chris informed her.

"Alright, just walk in when you get here, do you remember where it is?" Sheva asked.

"Yeah, I remember and if I don't I just have to find some moving trucks." Chris joked then continued "Hey do you want me to pick up anything on my way there? I pass by a Walmart on my way to your house…"

"No… its fine… thank you though." Sheva told him, sounding uncertain.

"Sheva I know you need something so just tell me what it is."

"Ok fine… can you pick up some pink and purple paint and some more brushes for me? I'll pay-" Sheva was cut off by Chris saying her name in a warning like tone.

"Sheva, I will get the stuff for you and you will not pay me back, alright? I don't want you to feel like you have to pay me back for everything I get you."

"I just don't want it to seem like I'm taking advantage of you or anything…"

"I know you are not that kind of person. I can tell how grateful you are." Chris told her as he put the phone down and put it on speaker so he could drive and talk without holding the phone.

"Thanks Chris, I really mean it. You are too sweet." Sheva told him and he could hear the smile in her voice.

"You're welcome, get used to my sweetness." Chris joked as he pulled out of the parking spot and headed home.

"I'll try, haha. I'll see you in a bit then…" Sheva sighed from the other line.

"Ok, see you beautiful." Chris said with a smile, knowing that she was probably blushing like crazy.

"Thanks…" Sheva said quietly, not knowing how to take the compliment. He said it in the text message earlier but it was so weird hearing him say it himself.

"One more thing Shev."

"Yeah?"

"Get used to me giving you compliments too." He told her seriously.

"Sorry, I'm not used to getting compliments…" Sheva admitted.

"Well I am going to start giving you some all the time. You deserve to be complimented because you are an amazing person and I want you to know that. So we will work on helping you accept compliments, alright?"

"Ok, thanks again." Sheva thanked him shyly.

"No problem, and sorry I have one more question."

"Don't be sorry, what's up?"

"Could I bring my dog over?"

"Um… does he bite?" Sheva asked worried.

"No he's trained and he does really well with children, Ayanna will love him." Chris explained.

"Yeah, I guess so… just please make sure he doesn't poop on my carpet and bring something to pick up his messes." Sheva requested good humoredly.

I will don't worry…see you in a jiffy."

"Alright, see ya." Sheva responded, chuckling at his choice of words.

They disconnected and Chris made his way to his house, showered, got his dog ready to go, got the paint and brushes at the store and he even picked up some flowers, then he headed to Sheva's house. He arrived at the house within around 30 minutes after getting off the phone with Sheva and parked on the curb, the 3 moving trucks and Sheva's car taking up the whole driveway. He got everything out of his truck, holding Spike's leash tightly and made his way to the front door.

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A/N: Yay, Spike! Sorry this was late again but I hope you enjoy and don't forget to review!

Luna Heartfilia: Yeah, she's adorable! Haha, I do too don't worry! He's a real hottie, haha. I'd love to read your stories, just tell me when you post them and I'll be there! I'll have to see about giving them a storyline, thanks for the suggestion, have an amazing day and thank you for reviewing!

Wolfspiritqueen: Thank you! I appreciate your patience and kindness! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reviewing!

~Sheva Redfield


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Here is the next chapter! Enjoy!

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Chris gently turned the door knob to see if the door was unlocked for him and luckily it wasn't. He walked into the house, making sure to hold Spike tightly just in case he got any ideas. A surprised expression was on his face as he looked around at the fully painted and furnished living room, complete with matching decorations. Removing his shoes and placing them by Sheva and Ayanna's, Chris ventured further into the house walking past the kitchen that was partially finished and placed the paint and brushes on the marble counter. He then placed the flowers somewhere in the living room where he knew Sheva wouldn't find them for later before heading into the dining room where he found Sheva painting a wall and listening to music. She was quietly singing and when she went to dip her paintbrush, she saw Chris standing there. She immediately stopped singing and removed her headphones. She presented him with one of her beautiful smiles and stood up.

He could see the white and tan paint present on her navy blue tank top and grey sweat pants. Her hair was in a messy ponytail, showing that she had been working hard for a while.

"Sorry about my appearance…" Sheva told him once she noticed him looking her up and down.

"Don't be sorry, you look great." Chris smiled at her then remembered the flowers he got her.

"Thanks!" Sheva smiled and tucked some of her loose hair behind her ear. It got silent for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts before Sheva spoke up.

"So how long are we going to stand here and ignore the fact that your dog may be taller than me?" Sheva asked with a chuckle, pointing at Spike. Chris looked down at Spike who looked up at him with a smile, showing all of his teeth.

"Did your dog just smile at you?" Sheva asked with a giggle, slightly amazed.

"Yep, I don't even have to tell him anymore, he just does it when he wants." Chris explained, ruffling up Spike's fur.

"That is the cutest thing ever!" Sheva squealed.

"It is only cute in the light. Imagine waking up and seeing this smile in the middle of the night, not knowing why he's doing it." Chris told her and laughed when her expression changed from thinking about it.

"He's really friendly though, you want to pet him?" Chris offered. Sheva nodded and walked closer to the panting dog and crouched down in front of him. She reached out and let him sniff her before placing her hand on his head and giving him a few pets.

"What breed of dog is he? He looks so familiar."

"He is a leonberger." Chris responded simply, sitting down next to Spike.

Sheva continued to pet Spike and eventually pulled him into a hug and gave him a kiss which he returned on her cheek.

"Aw, you're just a big sweetheart aren't you?! You're such a good boy Spike!" Sheva told him in a babyish voice. Chris playfully rolled his eyes at her.

"Don't soften up my dog, Shev." Chris joked.

"Ugh Chris, I'm gonna steal your dog. He is too precious!" Sheva told him, completely ignoring his pervious comment.

"I believe it, you hugged and kissed the dog before you even touched me." Chris commented with a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"Really Chris? Don't tell me you are jealous of a dog." Sheva teased as she stopped petting Spike who sighed at the removal of her hand.

"No, I'm just saying." Chris defended himself. Sheva chuckled and rolled her eyes at Chris before scooting over to him and giving him a hug. After the hug she rubbed her nose on Chris' just like she was doing to Spike earlier.

"Is this what you wanted Chris?" Sheva asked as she nuzzled his nose on hers. Their lips were only centimeters away and Chris puckered his, waiting to see Sheva's reaction. She looked down at his puckered lips and smiled.

"I hope you know I kissed your dog not even a minute ago." She told him and laughed when he sucked his lips back into his mouth.

"My feelings are hurt… my dog took my first kiss." Chris told her and pouted.

"Aww don't be sad, you will get yours soon enough." Sheva told him with a kiss on the cheek and a pat on the head. She stood up and stretched, a small yawn escaping her lips. Chris stood up too, unhooking Spike from his leash.

"Can he walk around in here or do you want him to go outside?" Chris asked, holding Spike by the collar.

"He can stay in here as long as he doesn't poop or eat paint. Oh and he can't jump on out beds. The couch I don't mind but he can't be on the beds." With that said, Chris let go of Spike and let him roam free on the first floor.

"He knows better than getting onto the beds and eating paint. And I brought my special vacuum just in case he tries to poop but he shouldn't." Chris assured her. Sheva nodded and went back over t where she was working on the half painted wall.

"Um Ayanna is upstairs, could you make sure she is putting her toys away and not playing?" Sheva asked, picking up the paint brush and painting where she left off.

"Yeah sure." Chris told her and headed up the stairs and to Ayanna's room. The door was cracked and he saw Ayanna sitting on the floor with a bunch of toys around her. He couldn't tell if she was playing or not.

From the crack in the door, Chis could see the pink walls and the white and pink furniture set that must have come from Africa. He saw that it had a princess theme to it along with her bed set and matching carpet. From the looks of it, Ayanna's from was done except the toys in the floor and the small bit of unpainted wall by the toy box and cubbies.

He knocked on the door and smiled when Ayanna looked back at him through the crack.

"Mr. Chris!" Ayanna exclaimed and ran to open the door and jump into his arms. He picked her up and gave her a hug before walking into her room with her in his arms.

"Hey princess! What have you been up to?" Chris asked as he walked to her bed and gently plopped her down on it, earning a giggle from her.

"I'm cleaning up my toys from Africa. I have a lot and Auntie Claire got me some more when we went shopping but I don't know where to put all of them because I think I have too many but I don't want to tell mommy or she might take them away from me." Ayanna told him sadly.

"Do you want me to help you clean some of them up before I go back downstairs?" Chris asked as he observed the large amount of toys in front of him. Ayanna nodded and they sat on the floor cleaning, while Ayanna told Chris backstories about most of her toys before they were cleaned up. Chris was very entertained by the stories she was telling him and enjoyed seeing her excitement she got when she held her stuffed animals and talked about the day she got them.

They were in there for 20 minutes cleaning up and talking. Sheva came up and watched the two for 5 minutes, smiling the whole time. She loved how Ayanna told Chris about her toys and how he listened without showing a hint of boredom, he actually looked very interested in what she was saying. As Sheva listened to them talking and laughing, Spike came upstairs and sat by Sheva's leg. She looked down at him and he smiled at her causing her to giggle at him and pet his head. After a minute of petting, Spike lost interest and went to Ayanna's room, slipping through the crack in the door before Sheva could grab him.

Ayanna was in the middle of telling Chris about her stuffed bear when she felt something cold and wet press against her leg. She stopped in mid-sentence to let out a loud scream then immediately tackled Chris, trying to get him to pick her up and get her away from whatever touched her. When Chris didn't pick her up, she took a second to look back and see Spike, smiling at her. Ayanna didn't see it as a smile though, she instead saw it as she was about to get bitten. She screamed some more and began to cry, blubbering for Chris to pick her up. Chris shook his head and picked her up with a chuckle. He wiped her tears away and calmed her down.

"Ayanna, stop crying princess. It's ok, it is just my dog. He doesn't bite, he's really nice." Chris told her softly. Ayanna still shook from fear but looked down at the dog through teary eyes who now looked more sad than dangerous.

Sheva slowly came through the door and looked at Chris holding Ayanna. He gave her a small smile and Sheva shook her head with a smile. She then looked down to Spike who looked cowardly, startled by Ayanna's screaming and crying. Feeling bad for the animal, Sheva sat down by Spike and he laid down, resting his head on her legs. Sheva pet him and comforted him.

"Chris, put Ayanna down for a minute." Sheva told him and Ayanna immediately protested, letting out a loud wail. Chris bent down to put her feet on the floor, but she lifted them up and wrapped them around Chris.

"Let go of him Ayanna." Sheva told her in a calm voice.

"He's gonna bite me, mommy. I don't want him to bite me!" Ayanna cried out.

"He's not gonna bite you, baby. Look at me." Ayanna wiped her eyes and looked over at her mother.

"He's a nice doggie, he doesn't bite."

"But he was trying to bite me! He showed me his teeth!" Ayanna told her, refusing to see the good in the dog.

"Ayanna he was smiling at you, he smiles at people." Chris told her as he sat down on the carpet with her still in his arms.

"Come here baby, come pet him. He won't bite you, I promise." Sheva promised her as she reached out to grab Ayanna. Ayanna slowly let go of Chris and grabbed Sheva's hand, standing up and walking towards her and the dog. Sheva put her hand in front of Spikes nose, and once he sniffed it, she placed in on his head and told Ayanna to pet him. Ayanna nervously pet Spike but giggled when he licked her hand. She then instantly warmed up to Spike and was hugging him within a few seconds.

"See, he's a nice puppy huh?" Sheva asked as she watched the two. Ayanna nodded and kissed Spike on the top of his head.

Chris and Sheva decided to finish cleaning up Ayanna's toys so Sheva could finish painting the last bit of Ayanna's walls. While they were doing that, Claire and Leon stopped by with the playground set and a bunch of groceries to start Sheva off. Chris started on the playground set in the backyard while Claire and Leon put the food away. Since everything was hooked up and ready to go in the house, Sheva decided to cook for everybody tonight.

After she finished painting the room, Chris finished half of the playground set and Claire and Leon finished with the groceries, they all worked together to assemble the new dining room set that Sheva got so they had somewhere to eat and Sheva began to cook. While she was going that, Chris grabbed the flowers for the spot in the living room then presented them to Sheva who loved them and put them in some water to go in the living room.

While they were all waiting for the chicken to back in the oven, Sheva and Ayanna showed Chris, Leon and Claire how to play a board game they brought from Africa.

"Leon! That's cheating, you looked at the card and now you have to use it!" Sheva exclaimed, and Leon laughed before moving his piece back to the home space like his card said.

"That is not fair, I haven't gotten one good card yet!" Leon pouted.

"That is because Ayanna keeps getting them all!" Claire joked and Ayanna proudly smiled.

"The game likes me." Was all Ayanna said before the group burst out in laughter.

"Yeah yeah, your turn Claire." Sheva told her. Claire picked up the dice and was about to roll but the sudden urge to throw up came over her and she ran to the bathroom.

"Claire?" Sheva asked as she went after her. She reached her in the bathroom to see her on her knees, throwing up in the toilet. Sheva cringed at the sound of the liquid shooting from Claire's and grabbed some tissue for Claire to wipe her mouth off with. Claire thankfully took the tissue and cleaned off her mouth before throwing it in the toilet and flushing it down. Sheva watched Claire as she washed her hands in silence.

"Claire, is something wrong?" Sheva asked as Claire dried her hands.

"Oh no, I'm fine! I just had some bad sushi before I came here… no biggie." Claire told her as she laughed nervously, an obvious sign that she was lying.

"Claire you are the worst liar in history. Tell me what's wrong."

"Sheva just promise not to say anything to anyone until I know for sure ok?" Claire asked quietly.

"Until you know for sure… Claire are you saying what I think you are saying?" Sheva asked, slightly excited.

"I don't know yet Sheva, I took some tests and most of them were positive but some came back negative… I have an appointment on Sunday so I will know for sure then but just don't say anything Sheva. I'm trusting you right now." Claire told her with nervousness in her voice. Sheva nodded understandably, she knew how it felt to think you were pregnant but to not be sure. All the confusion, worry, stress. She knew it all and Claire was the only one she told and she kept that secret for her so she was going to do the same.

"It's ok Claire, don't stress out about anything ok? I won't tell a living soul about this, just come talk to me if you need anything. I'm here for you… And one more thing. In case you actually are… you know, don't eat seafood. It's not good for you." Sheva told her reassuringly.

Claire nodded with a sigh and she checked herself in the mirror before saying she was ready to go back out.

Together the girls walked back out to where the boys and Ayanna were sitting and sat back down, acting like nothing happened.

"So… are you going to tell us what that was all about?" Leon asked, worried about his wife.

"It was nothing, I guess the sushi I had earlier came back up, haha." Claire told them with a nervous laugh.

"Yeah… everything is fine… except for the fact that Claire made a mess before Spike did." Sheva said, trying to save Claire. They all laughed and Chris made a comment about Claire eating sushi when they were younger which turned into a story that lasted several minutes. By that time the food was all ready and they moved into the dining room and sat down to eat. They ended up telling stories about when they were younger and about funny moments that happened in their life.

"I remember when Ayanna just started walking we were outside one day and it was in the winter but it was sunny, and my mom, Derek, Ayanna and I were going for a walk. All the sudden Ayanna started screaming and running but we didn't know what it was. She would look back and scream and start running again and I started getting scared thinking that my child could see ghosts and stuff but then as I watched her, I realized she was running away from her own shadow!" Sheva told them and they all laughed then she continued "So my mom being the great grandma she is, took out her camera and started recording and I have the recording today, it is in a box somewhere in the spare room."

"We should watch it after dinner, I'd love to see that." Leon told her as he took a bite of his chicken.

"What do you guys think? I have a whole box of home videos." Sheva asked Claire and Chris. Claire nodded and Chris was too busy pigging out to notice he was asked a question.

"I hope you do more talking than eating on our date, Chris…" Sheva joked as she watched him scarf down his 3rd piece of chicken.

"Take this as a compliment, Shev. I have never seen him eat so fast since we were kids. He used to be so fat, it was cute! I have pictures on my phone, if you want to see?" Claire offered as she pulled out her phone.

"Don't you dare Claire!" Chris growled as he stopped eating and looked at Claire with a threatening face.

Claire ignored him and pulled up a picture then passed the phone to Sheva. She awed and giggled at the picture.

"He was I believe 8 in that picture." Claire told her, ignoring the burning gaze of her brother.

"Chris you are too cute in this picture, you were so chubby!" Sheva observed. The picture was taken of Chris sitting at a dining table eating barbeque with a bib on. He had no shirt and had a birthday hat on and there was barbeque sauce on almost all of his face.

"Yeah he used to be like a marshmallow, swipe left to see another picture." Claire told Sheva, enjoying seeing her brother turn a deep red. Sheva swiped and a louder aw came from her mouth.

It was a picture of Chis and Claire standing by each other in Halloween costumes. Chris was half of a sandwich filled with peanut butter, Claire was the other half that was jelly. When they stood side by side, they looked like one sandwhich ven though Chris was a bit taller than Claire. Sheva kept swiping and giggling at the pictures of Chris as a kid then she came to his high school photos.

One was of Chris' track photo his freshman year another was of his football photo his senior year.

"Chris you looked good in high school." Sheva told him, saving him from further embarrassment.

"Thanks Shev." Chris thanked her simply, still angry at his sister for showing Sheva those photos.

It was around 7 when they finished dinner and they were all too tired to watch the home videos that night. So they all cleaned up and said their goodbyes to Chris and Spike.

"Mr. Chris? Can Spike stay with me and mommy tonight? I promise we won't steal him." Ayanna asked, holding onto the dog like her life depended on it.

"No Ayanna, Mr. Chris is going to take Spike home with him." Sheva told Ayanna as nicely as she could. Ayanna nodded and sadly let go of him.

"Goodnight doggie…" Ayanna said sadly and gave Spike a kiss on the head. Sheva did the same and ruffled up his fur before planting a kiss on his snout. Ayanna gave Chris a hug and told him goodnight before heading out the door with Leon and Claire, leaving Chris and Sheva alone.

Sheva wrapped her arms around Chris' neck and gave him a tight hug before kissing his cheek and nose.

"I'll see you tomorrow night, I can't wait!" Sheva told him excitedly. Chris chuckled at her excitement and kissed her nose.

"I can't wait either, will we have our first real boyfriend/girlfriend kiss tomorrow?" Chris asked, wiggling his eyebrows at her causing her to laugh.

"Well I don't know, you never asked me to your girlfriend so…I don't know…" Sheva said in a sing song voice.

"Well I want it to be special so I'm not gonna ask now but hopefully by then end of tomorrow night you will be my girlfriend." Chris told her flirtatiously.

"We will just have to see huh?" Chris nodded with a smirk. They gave one final hug then Sheva turned off all the lights and locked the door and they went their separate ways.

On the way back to the house, Sheva kept thinking about how he was going to ask her to be his girlfriend in a 'special' way.

' _I guess I'll just have to wait…'_

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter and Spike! Ugh just love him, I actually researched his dog breed up and they are actually really family-orienteered dogs (the more you know)! The next chapter is of course the date! Don't forget to tell me what you think! And sorry for any mistakes, I was kinda rushing…

Guest: Thanks! To be completely honest, I am not an action writer and I highly doubt that I will add any action to this story. I am really sorry I could add your request but I really appreciate you asking and your support! Have an amazing day!

Luna Heartfilia: Thanks! Aw sorry to hear. Spike is a very friendly dog as you can tell from this chapter, I don't think he would mind you being around Chris haha.

~Sheva Redfield


	12. Chapter 12

Sheva woke up the next morning to the smell of eggs and bacon. She sat up and stretched, looking to her side to see Ayanna sleeping peacefully. She gently ran a hand through her hair, being sure not to wake her up and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

Sheva carefully got out of bed and put her robe on then walked to the kitchen where Claire and Leon were cooking breakfast.

"Good morning Sheva!" Claire greeted her happily.

"Morning…" Sheva said then cleared her throat immediately after, the tiredness still present in her voice. She then walked over to where the cooked bacon was sitting on a plate and stared it down, realizing how hungry she was.

"We are almost done with everything, you can take a piece of bacon if you want?" Leon offered. Sheva thanked him quietly and grabbed a piece of crispy bacon and took a bite, the loud crunch surprising her.

"This is really good, I might just take the whole thing!" Sheva told them after taking another bite.

"Well this breakfast is a celebration of you and Chris' date today! Ugh, I'm so excited! He told me his plans and I know you are going to love them!" Claire said excitedly with a dreamy look on her face.

"Yeah, for once bonehead is being romantic…" Leon muttered, earning an elbow to the gut from Claire.

"My brother is very romantic!" She defended him. Then cleared her throat and continued. "Anyways, your hair appointment is at 5:30 but we will be leaving at 5:15 and that gives you about an hour to be dressed and ready when Chris gets here…" Claire told Sheva, giving her a heads up for later.

"Alright but do I really need my hair professionally done? I mean it's not like he's taking me to a five star restaurant or anything." Sheva said, finishing off her piece of bacon.

"You don't know that!" Claire quickly said then shut her mouth, fearing she might have given something away.

"Claire is he really taking me to that nice of a dinner?" Sheva asked slightly upset and slightly happy. She was upset because she didn't want him to spend so much money on her and she was happy because he cared so much to spend that much money on their first date.

"… I don't know Sheva, you will have to wait and see."

"Ugh, I will feel so bad if he is…" Sheva mumbled.

"Why, don't you see it as romantic for him to want to spend all that money on you?" Leon asked, slightly confused by Sheva words.

"Well yeah, it's really romantic but I don't want him to spend that much on me. I'll just feel terrible." Sheva admitted.

"Sheva, my brother makes thousands of dollars a week. He could be living in a high class house if he wanted but he doesn't want to because he wants to spend his money on important things… like you." Claire told her, giggling at the blush on Sheva's face then began to scramble more eggs.

"He really cares about you Sheva. I have never seen him fall for someone and have so much admiration for someone that fast. And trust me, Chris is really picky when it comes to the people he dates but for good reasons. He has had his heart broken so many times by girls he really cared for, so it's really hard for him to love easily." She told Sheva sadly.

It really hurt Sheva to imagine someone breaking Chris' heart. He is such a great guy.

"I won't hurt him Claire, I promise. Your brother is such an amazing guy and I'm really glad he cares for me."

"I'm really glad he does too, you guys re meant for each other…" Claire told her with a sincere smile.

"Thanks Claire." Sheva thanked her then paused as if she was thinking hard about something.

"What's up Sheva? You look like your brain is going to explode." Leon joked.

"I'm just thinking about something I can get for Chris as a thank you."

Claire paused, thinking of things Chris liked and then the light bulb lit up.

"He really likes watches and I know he'd be really happy and grateful if you got him one." Claire told her as she finished scrambling the eggs.

"Alright, I'll get him a watch after we finish eating." Sheva announced proudly, happy she was getting him a gift.

"Well the food is done so if you go get Ayanna we can start eating." Leon stated as he carried the first two plates to the dining room. Claire followed behind with the other two.

Shev nodded and walked back to the bedroom to wake Ayanna up but saw that she wasn't in the bed. Sheva walked to the bathroom and opened the door without a warning to see Ayanna standing on the toilet, leaning over the counted to wash her hands while singing her abc's.

She just smiled as she watched her finish washing her hands and passed her the towel to dry them.

"Thank you mommy!" Ayanna thanked her as she hopped off the toilet and grabbed the towel to dry her hands. Sheva turned off the water and hung the towel back up after she was done then they left the bathroom, hand in hand.

"Did I do a good job mommy?" Ayanna asked as she happily hopped down the hall.

"Yes you did, I'm proud of you. But next time tell me before you go, just on case there is an accident so I know where you are." Sheva told her, placing a hand on her disheveled hair. They were both so tired by the time they go back from the new house that she didn't even bother to do either one of their hair properly. The only reason Sheva's was more kept than Ayanna's was because Sheva pulled hers into a sloppy bun before going to sleep.

"Oh and after we are done eating, mommy is going to go to the store to pick up a present for Mr. Chris." Sheva told Ayanna ahead of time.

"Oh, can I go?" Ayanna asked, looking up at her mom with hopeful eyes. Sheva chuckled and nodded, already knowing that she was going to ask to go.

"Yeah, but just don't ask for anything, we are just going in and out ok?" Ayanna nodded then let go of Sheva's hand to run to the table where Claire and Leon were standing, setting things up. Once she made it to Leon she attacked Leon leg with a hug.

"Oh no, she's got me!" Leon cried out playfully, earning a laugh from Ayanna. He picked her up under her arms and made sure he had a good grip on her before he bent over, slightly flipping Ayanna upside down. She giggled and screamed happily, reaching for his shirt every time he would bend over. He stopped once he saw Sheva approach them and gave her a kiss on the cheek before putting her back down.

Ayanna then ran to Claire who picked her up and also gave her a kiss before sitting her down in her chair at the table. They all took their seats and ate, happily talking what their plans for the day were.

"Auntie, what are we gonna do when mommy is gone with Mr. Chris? Can Spike come over? I really miss him." Ayanna asked.

"I think we might just stay in and hang out. But if Spike comes over we might take him for a walk." Claire told her as she ate.

"Yay! Can I call Mr. Chris and ask him now?" Ayanna asked, her excitement growing.

"Not right now baby, finish eating and then you can call him." Sheva told her, pointing to her food. Ayanna tried to hurry up and eat but Sheva told her to calm down before she choked on her food. She would calm down for a second but then she would continue to rush.

"Ayanna for the last time, stop rushing. If you rush one more time, Spike is not coming over and you are not going with me to the store." Sheva told her sternly.

"No! I'll stop eating fast, I promise!" Ayanna whined and ate at a slower pace that Sheva was pleased with.

They were finished with their food about 5 minutes later and after Sheva and Ayanna brushed their teeth, Sheva let Ayanna call Chris and talk to him while she picked out their clothes.

Sheva handed Ayanna her phone and Ayanna immediately knew how to get to her contacts from her previous times playing with her phone. She clicked on Chris' name and held the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" Chris answered.

"Hi Mr. Chris! It's Ayanna!" Ayanna greeted him excitedly. She could hear Chris chuckle at her excitement on the other line.

"Hey princess, how are you doing?" He asked with a smile that could be heard in his voice.

"I'm doing good, me and mommy are going to the store when after we get ready. She has to do my hair because it is messy and hers is messy too." Ayanna told him with a giggle. He let out a small laugh at her response.

"Oh really, your mommy has messy bed head?" He joked.

"I can hear you, you know!" He could hear Sheva yell from the background.

"Sorry Shev, I bet you still look beautiful!" Chris chuckled loud enough where he knew she could hear him.

"Mm hmm…" She mumbled playfully.

"Mr. Chris can I ask you a question?" Ayanna asked before either one could say anything else.

"You just did." Chris told her. Ayanna paused for a minute confused by what he said but laughed when she heard him laugh.

"I'm kidding, go ahead sweetheart." Chris told her nicely.

"Ok, when you come get mommy tonight, can you bring Spike over and let him stay with me and Auntie Claire and spend a night?" Ayanna asked.

"Um… did Auntie Claire say it was alright?"

"She did."

"Yeah, he can go over but he can't stay the night tonight ok? Maybe another night." Chris told her apologetically.

"Aw, why can he sleep over?" Ayanna asked sadly.

"Because he said no Ayanna." Sheva answered before Chris could.

"Oh… ok." Ayanna said sadly.

"Don't be sad. You know what, he might go to sleep with you before I come back to get him so it will be like he is sleeping over." Chris told her, trying to make her feel better.

"Oh! Yay!" Ayanna cheered excitedly. "Can I ask you another question?"

"Of course you can."

"Mommy can I go into the living room to ask Mr. Chris something? I don't want you to hear it." Ayanna asked Sheva.

"What are you trying to ask him?" Sheva asked uneasily. She didn't want her to ask him anything that would make him uncomfortable or feel awkward.

"I want to ask him about the date." Ayanna told her simply.

"Sheva she can ask me anything, don't worry. I won't think anything less of you by her questions. I know that kids sometimes don't have any filter." Chris joked from the other line.

"Thanks Chris, I feel so much better now." Sheva joked then sighed "I guess you can go ask him but come right back in here after you are done so we can get you dressed ok?"

"Ok!" Ayana answered. Chris could hear some ruffling around as Ayanna made her way to the living room.

"I want to ask you to be really nice to my mommy and make her really happy because my daddy hasn't been that nice to her anymore and it makes me sad to see her sad but she is really happy when she is by you so can you make her happy again?" Ayanna asked, her tone sounding bit unhappy.

"Ayanna I am so proud of you looking out for your mommy like that. That was a really really big girl thing to do and I am going to have to get you a present for being such a big girl when it comes to your mommy and daddy and me. But I do promise that I will make her happy, don't worry about a thing. I will never do anything to hurt your mommy like your daddy did. I promise." Chris promised her. He was honestly shocked at how much of an understanding Ayanna had about the situation and he was so proud of her for being so protective of Sheva.

"Ok thank you Mr. Chris. I'm really happy that you are so nice." She told him happily.

"No problem sweetheart. I'm really happy that you are so smart and that I got to meet you."

"Thank you!"

"You're very welcome. Now go ahead and get ready to go to the store. I will see you soon ok? Be good to your momma." Chris told her with a chuckle.

"I will, see you later!" And with that they disconnected and Ayanna ran back to the room and gave Sheva her phone back. They quickly got ready and headed to the store to get Chris' present.

0000

It took them about 30 minutes to find a watch that Chris would be happy with and by the time the returned back to the house it was around 5:00. Claire was ready to go when they got there and Leon already left for work.

Claire hopped in the car with Ayanna and Sheva and they were on their way to the hair salon.

"I think I might get highlights or something." Sheva thought out loud.

"Ohh, you should get like an ombre that fades to a lighter brown. That would look really nice on you, especially since you have really long hair." Claire told her, reaching over and running a hand through her friends' hair and struggling to get her hands from the tangles.

"Longer hair isn't always the best thing…" Sheva sighed. She did love her hair but it was annoying when she tried to style it or even sometimes when she sat down, she would sit on the really long strands and yank them out on accident. She never had it cut before in her life… well except for getting her ends cut straight. It went to her lower back when it was straightened but when it was in its natural wavy state it went to her mid back. It wasn't that long to Sheva but others would beg to differ.

"Well I wish my hair was longer than it is now… maybe not as long as yours but at least to my mid back." Claire said, running her hand through her own hair.

"I want hair like yours mommy!" Ayanna said from the back seat.

"No you don't, you done even like when I have to do your hair now!" Sheva chuckled.

"Because it takes too long." Ayanna told her.

"Well it'll take longer if you have longer hair sweetheart." Claire said to Ayanna.

"Oh… never mind." Ayanna said then went back to playing her toy that Sheva picked up for at the store so she wouldn't be bored while she was getting her hair done.

They pulled up to the hair salon at 5:23, a little bit earlier than they were supposed to be but once they checked in, the hairstylist said that they could start earlier.

0000

"And… done!" The hairstylist said and spun the chair around so Sheva could see herself and she was shocked to say the least. Her hair felt soft and fluffy and had a glow to it. Her hair was dyed a little darker than the original color was and she got the ombre style like Claire suggested and loved it. The stylist also did her makeup and it was bold yet simple and beautiful. She gave Sheva a smokey eye and the rest had a more natural look to it.

"Oh my goodness, this looks amazing!" Sheva said as looked at her face and gently touched her hair, afraid of it losing it curls.

"I'm glad you like it!" The stylist said happily.

"Thank you so much, really!" Sheva thanked her as she stood up. The woman led her back out to the waiting room where Claire and Ayanna were waiting. Once she came out Claire stood up with a loud squeal and ran to her friend.

"Sheva you look amazing!" Claire said as she hugged her.

"Thank you! I love this ombre style!"

"Mommy, you look so pretty!" Ayanna said and ran to her mother.

"Thank you baby!" Sheva thanked her.

They went up to the register and paid and Sheva gave the woman a tip, then they left so Sheva could have time to change.

0000

Sheva was fully dressed and accessorized and now she was nervously waiting on the bed for Chris to arrive.

"Ugh, I'm so scared Claire. What if I say something stupid? What if I fall and he thinks I'm clumsy?" Sheva asked Claire with worry in her voice. She was so nervous that she couldn't even sit still.

"Well you are clumsy soo…" Claire began but stopped when Sheva let out a loud whine of nervousness.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry. Just calm down Shev, just don't think about it." Claire told her in a comforting voice. Just then the doorbell rang causing Sheva to almost jump out of her skin.

"I got it!" Ayanna called and ran to the door, struggling with the locks. She finally unlocked it with the help of Chris' key and opened the door.

"Spike!" Ayanna yelled and dropped to her knees, hugging the dog. Spike happily licked her, causing her to giggle. After she finished hugging Spike, Ayanna went to Chris and gave him a hug once he picked her up.

"Mr. Chris, mommy looks really really pretty! She got her hair done and its two different colors!" Ayanna told Chris excitedly.

"I bet she does look really pretty. I bet her hair is nice too." Chris said as he came inside and closed the door behind him.

"She does! I'll go get her!" Ayanna told him and once she was put down, she ran to the bedroom where Claire and Sheva were.

"Mommy, Mr. Chris is here and he brought Spike!" Ayanna said excitedly and went back out to the living room.

"Let's go Shev, he's probably really excited to see you!" Claire said and pulled Sheva up with her. She watched as Sheva adjusted herself then they walked to the living room together.

"Now presenting the beautiful and nervous Sheva!" Claire said, dramatically waving her arms, waiting for Sheva to come out.

"Really Claire?" Chris joked.

"Yes Chris." Claire answered simply. "Come on Sheva… we don't have all night!"

"I'm here, I'm here jeez." Sheva answered as she walked from the hallway. She immediately made eye contact with Chris and the looked at each other for a minute, looking at their appearance.

Chris had on a nice dress shirt and some slacks. He shaved his face only leaving a little bit of stubble which Sheva loved. He didn't do anything extreme and Sheva was very thankful for that because she loved his appearance already.

"You look gorgeous Shev, I love your hair." Chris said as he took a few stepped closer to her. He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you, you look very charming yourself." Sheva told him, a bit of blush staining her cheeks.

"Thanks…" Chris thanked her, chuckling at her blushing.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" Claire chanted from the couch. When both of them turned to look at her with glares on their faces, she got quiet. Ayanna giggled at Claire as she sat on the floor with Spike.

"We should probably get going, the movie starts soon." Chris informed her. Sheva nodded and grabbed her jacket that had Chris' watch in it and put it on with the help of him.

"Have fun mommy!" Ayanna told her as she ran to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I will baby, thank you."

"Yeah, you guys enjoy yourselves… not too much though…" Claire said, winking at the two causing them to both glare at her again.

"Ok ok sorry… just have fun you lovebirds…" Claire corrected herself.

"We will Claire, thank you." Chris thanked her and grabbed Sheva's hand. Just as Chris opened the door for them to exit, Ayanna called him.

"Have her back by 11, no later!" Ayanna told Chris in a playful warning tone.

"I'll try." Chris chuckled and with that they left the house and were on their way to the movies.

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A/N: Sorry for this being up so late in the day! And for the cliff hanger… but I hope you guys enjoyed and the next chapter will be the date! Don't forget to give feedback! Lots of Love!

Guest: Thank you! Woah, that's a lot of kids but it must be great at the same time! I do too, I wish Spike was real so I could keep him for myself! Thank you and I appreciate the review! And don't worry about reviewing on the wrong chapter, I did it all the time! I probably still do! Welcome to FF, I hope you like it so far!

Luna Heartfilia: Haha, he's not that scary… I hope! I don't know, I guess we just love dogs! Thank you for reviewing all the time! I appreciate it and have a great day!

~Sheva Redfield


	13. Chapter 13

***Disclaimer: I do not own the song/lyrics in this chapter!***

It was about a 30 minute ride to the movies so Chris decided to make the most of the ride and get to know Sheva better.

"So, tell me about yourself." Chris told her as they reached a stoplight.

"Well, what do you want to know? I'm really not that interesting just to warn you." Sheva joked as she stopped gazing out the window.

"You are very interesting to me, Shev." Chris sincerely told her. She blushed and gave him a small smile. Then he continued "I want to know about your family, your childhood, your favorite food. Just random things to get to know you better."

"Well my family…" Sheva began and a sad look came on her face making Chris regret asking. "My mom is still in Africa and she is such an amazing woman. She's like my best friend…" She let out a small laugh then sighed "My father… he passed away when I was 8 from an incident at his job. I'm actually really lucky to still have my mom because they worked at the same place but the day the incident happened, I was sick so my mom stayed at home with me while my dad went to work…" Sheva told him sadly as she looked down at her lap. She looked up when she felt his larger hand grab hers and squeeze it. She looked up and looked him in his eyes to see an apologetic look.

"I'm really sorry that happened Shev, it must have been hard." Chris apologized.

"Thanks Chris, it was hard at first but then I realized he is in a much better place now… just watching over me." Sheva explained, a sad smile on her face. She quickly changed her attitude and cleared her throat. "Anyways, I have two brothers. My older brother's name is Josh and he actually works for the BSAA too but for a different branch in Africa. You might have met him before. He goes by Capitan Stone."

"I have probably met him before, I just don't remember. I know I have seen his name in files…I'll probably recognize him when I see him." Chris responded.

"Probably… and then my younger brother well half-brother, is 8 and still lives with my mom of course. Not too much to say about him except for we call him Nemo because he loves the little orange and white fish." Sheva chuckled remembering when they first started calling him that.

"So do you have a step father or…?" Chris began.

"Yeah, I do. He's in the army though and I barely talk to him. He's always gone and I feel like he's trying to take my dad's place. I can't stand him sometimes. The only reason I'm happy he's around is because he makes my mom happy. That's all that really matters to me…" Sheva sighed sadly then fixed her face once again.

"Let's talk about something happier, I don't want to ruin out night with sad stories!" Sheva said, acting as if the conversation before never happened.

"You are not ruining our night, Shev. If you ever want to talk about your father or your step dad just tell me and I'll talk to you." Chris sincerely told her.

"Alright… and same goes for you… even though your parents are still alive." Sheva chuckled.

"I will." Chris smiled then asked "So what else do you want to tell me?"

"Um, well… my favorite food is cheesecake-"

"Cheesecake is a dessert not food." Chris corrected her.

"Desserts are a type of food." Sheva shot back.

"Ok so if I were to ask you to bring me some food, you would bring me cheesecake?" Chris asked, trying to make a point.

"No because I would eat the cheesecake, you would get something else." Sheva chuckled truthfully.

"Oh wow…" Chris laughed. He loved how she could make him laugh with the simplest things.

"Ok ok so what is your favorite food that isn't a dessert?" Chris asked after the laughing died down.

"Hot wings. Well anything spicy really. And I also like Chinese food." Sheva answered.

"I'm not a big spicy person but I do like hot wings… thy just can't be way too spicy. I like Chinese food too though. I have a Chinese restaurant on speed dial." Chris admitted.

"How do you stay so muscular when you have restaurant on speed dial?" Sheva asked poking his abs. he let out a little giggle when she did but immediately cleared his throat after. Sheva playfully rolled her eyes at him and remembered to ask him about that later.

"Um I spend most of my time at the gym at work and the missions I go on keep me fit. Also on Sunday mornings I like to go jogging a mile or two depending on how I feel that day. Then I come home and do simple exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, planks, you name it. "

"What time do you go jogging?" Sheva asked, surprised by the amount of exercise he did.

"I get up around 6 and start at around 7."

"You get up at 6 in the morning?" Sheva asked in disbelief.

"Yep, it's best to get up and start when it's early and cooler so you don't get hot and tired as easily."

"I was going to ask if I could start jogging with you but never mind now…" Sheva chuckled.

"You should try it, it's really not as bad as it seems." Chris suggested.

"Yeah, no." Sheva told him "I'm wayyyyy too lazy…"

"You don't seem that lazy, you look like you work out often actually." Chris said observingly.

"Thanks… I used to take Ayanna for walks when she was a year old to lose the baby weight and I started to like walking but then I stopped and never started back up again." Sheva explained then continued "I'd love to start up again but I think I'll just wait until I have another kid so I have some inspiration." She joked.

"And when do you plan on having another kid?" Chris asked curiously.

"Maybe within the next 2 to 3 years? It depends…" She told him.

"Sounds good to me." Chris said, earning a push from Sheva.

"Let's get through our first date first alright?" Sheva told him, laughing at his remark.

"I mean it's going well so far, right?" Chris asked half joking and half serious.

"Yeah it is. But I just want to get to know you really well before we start talking about any of that."

"I understand Shev, sorry if I made you uncomfortable." Chris apologized, mentally scolding himself.

"Chris don't apologize, I understand you were trying to make conversation. Don't feel bad. I mean I wouldn't have brought it up if I didn't expect you to say something right?"

"Right. So did I give the right response?"

"Yeah, I alrady knew you wanted to have kids but I just wanted to make sure. Just in case we do end up being together for that long."

"I think we will, if you feel how I do." Chris said, looking into her eyes with affection.

"I think I do, but you really think we will be together that long?" Sheva asked, afraid to hear the answer.

"Of course I do. I don't get in relationships just to have one. When I am with someone, I am with them because I really have feelings and care for them and I believe that we would be happy together. If I didn't feel that way, we wouldn't be here right now, would we?" Chris asked seriously.

"We wouldn't… thanks for giving me a chance Chris. Claire told me about people who broke your heart and I do not plan on being one of them. I actually really hope this works out because I care for you too and so does Ayanna and that's not something I expected to come so easily and quickly. I kinda freaks me out sometimes. Like we have known each other for not even a week and we are already here." Sheva told him honestly.

"it freaks me out too Sheva but I'm not that worried because I am following my heart and I have never felt that it has been so right." Chris admitted. Sheva smiled happily as her heart filled with joy and something else that she hasn't felt for a man in a long time.

Love. She loved him and it scared her to no end but she wouldn't let that fear stop her from being with him. He deserved a chance and she wanted to give him one.

As they pulled up to the movie theater, Sheva decided that she wouldn't hold back her feelings for him and have the time of her life with him. Nothing was going to stop her.

0000

They entered the theater and got their tickets for the movie. They both agreed that popcorn would spoil the dinner so they ended up getting a large slush to share.

They arrived about 20 minutes before the previews started so they decided to go to the arcade and play some games to pass the time. Sheva fell in love with the first person shooter games and surprised Chris with her accuracy.

"My dad used to take me out into the backyard and let me shoot his bow a few time a week when I was younger." Was Sheva's answer when Chris asked her when she learned to shoot so well.

While they were on their 5th round on the shooter game a little boy about Ayanna's age pulled on Chris' pant leg. He was crying and shaking and looked very lost.

Once Chris noticed the boy, he crouched to his level and asked him what was wrong and where his parents were.

"I… I was with… my… brot… brother and he… he left to go get something and he hasn't come back yet. I stayed here… where he left me… he knows where I am…" The little boy cried and reached out to Chris for comfort. Chris hugged the little boy back then stood up straight.

"I am going to take you to the front desk so they can call your brother to come get you ok? You are very brave and smart for staying where you were." Chris told him in a gently voice, making sure he didn't scare him. The little boy nodded and grabbed Chris hand and they walked to the front desk like that, Sheva following behind.

Chris gave the people at the front desk all he knew from what the boy told them and they made an announcement that went through the theater so everyone could hear.

The woman at the desk told him that they had everything under control and that he could leave. He looked at the time and saw that the movie was about to start any minute then turned to Sheva with apologetic eyes.

"Do you mind being a little late to the movie? I just really want to make sure someone comes to get him." Chris asked, hoping she would understand.

"I don't mind at all Chris. I mean if I lost Ayanna, I would want to see who helped her." Sheva told him with a smile. Chris nodded and thanked her for being so understanding. While they waited, Chris and Sheva talked to the little boy, calming him down some. He ended up telling them his name and about what happened and got completely comfortable with them. His name was Nick and he was 5 years old and he came here with his brother and his girlfriend to watch a movie only because his mom forced his older brother to take him.

By the time the Nick's brother showed up, the movie as halfway over but Chris didn't care at that point because he was so angered by how his brother left him. It was just so irresponsible. He could tell Sheva was just as upset as him because her fist were balled up.

Chris walked up to the 18 year old and began to scold him and his girlfriend about leaving Nick alone. The boy didn't care about Chris' words which angered him more but the minute Sheva pushed Chris aside and began to give the boy the same treatment but in an even more strict and mean manner, the boy changed his attitude to a more respectful one.

"I'm sorry ma'am, I will never leave him alone again. I promise." The boy responded in a frightful tone.

The woman at the front desk ended up calling the kids parents and they came up to the theater and took the kids home where they were sure there would be worse punishments for the 18 year than being yelled at.

"Great now we missed the whole movie. I'm really sorry Sheva." Chris apologized, feeling awful.

"Chris it's not your fault. Honestly if you would have left Nick there and thought the movie was more important than you wouldn't have been the man I thought you were. I'm actually really glad you were willing to give up out movie to make sure he was ok. That was a really good thing to do, and I love that trait about you." Sheva told him as she gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek. He was so grateful that she was happy with his choice and that he was the man she though he was.

"As a thank you, we are refunding your tickets for another day and giving you a $30 dollar gift card." The woman told them once the hug ended and handed them two new tickets and the gift card. They thanked her then Chris remembered he had a reservation at the restaurant and they needed to leave now.

"Shev, we need to head out now if we want to get to the restaurant in time." Chris told her as she grabbed her hand. She nodded, refraining from asking why they needed to be at the restaurant at a certain time.

The two thanked the woman one more time before heading to Chris car and to the restaurant.

0000

20 minutes later…

They arrived at the nice restaurant in Beverly Hills and Chris parked the car in his reserved parking spot. He exited the vehicle and opened Sheva's door, letting her out. He grabbed her hand and they walked up the lit pathway to the large decorated building.

As they approached the entrance, Sheva noticed a sign that said 'Sam Smith Live Tonight!' Sheva looked up at Chris with hopeful eyes, asking him if what the sign said was true.

"Yep, Claire told me how much you love his music so I thought you would like to see him live. I also got us some passes so we could talk to him after the show and you could get some pictures." Chris told her with a smile, happy that she was excited. "Surprise!"

"Chris! You shouldn't have! This is too sweet!" Sheva told him as she pulled him into a tight embrace and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Anything to make you happy." Chris said once they resumed walking to the entrance. Sheva awed at his kindness and clung to his arm happily and excitedly, making him chuckle at her.

The walked into the building and Chris told them his last name for the reservation. While Chris and the man at the table were talking, Sheva observed the place. Everything was so big and shiny and looked so fancy that she felt out of place. It looked like the places that famous people would go out to eat and it made her even more excited that she might even get to meet someone famous, other than Sam Smith.

"Alright, please follow me and I will lead you to your table." The man said and began to walk through the entrance to the dining area. The area was dimly lit, candles at the tables lighting most of the room. There was lively chatter as other couples sat at their tables, enjoying their gourmet food. As they followed the man to their table, Sheva got even more excited. The man was leading them closer and closer to the table that was right by the dancefloor and had the perfect view of the stage where Sam Smith would be preforming.

Sheva did a little happy clap when the man stopped at the table she was hoping they would get and extended his arm, signaling for them to take a seat. Chris pulled the chair out for Sheva and pushed her in once she took a seat before taking his own. They ordered their drinks, Chris getting an expensive wine and Sheva getting some iced tea.

"I don't drink often… everything is usually too strong for me." Was Sheva's answer when Chris asked why she didn't get a drink.

"Oh, well the wine I got isn't too strong. You might like it. And don't worry, I'm only getting one glass since I still have to drive back." Chris assured her. Sheva smiled and nodded, glad he'd thought about that ahead of time.

A waiter quickly came and introduced herself before handing them their drinks and lighting the candle that sat in the middle of the round table, completing the romantic atmosphere. She sat a small tray of chocolate covered strawberries on the table before handing them both menus and stating she would be back in a few minutes to take their orders.

"So… how do you like this place so far?" Chris asked as he opened his menu, looking at the options.

"I love it, everything is just so romantic and we have the best seats here. This is honestly the nicest place I have eaten at and we haven't even gotten our food yet!" Sheva responded, the happiness and excitement full in her voice.

"I'm glad you like it." Chris said as he placed his menu down, knowing what he was trying to get. Sheva also placed hers down but to ask a question.

"Chris is there a certain amount of money that you want me to stay under? I really don't want to get something too expensive, I'd feel really bad."

"Sheva don't worry about money, it is the least of my worries. Just get whatever you want and how much you want. Alright?"

"Ok, I just didn't want you to spend too much on me… I mean the reservation and this table must have cost a lot…" Sheva told him.

"I am going to be completely honest, this did cost a lot but, I make a lot of money so no worries. Just enjoy yourself and don't look at the bill." Chris joked then took a sip from his drink. Sheva chuckled then sighed, placing her chin on her wrist.

"Chris, can you tell me about your job? Like is there anything I should know about it?" Sheva asked, trying to make a good conversation.

"Well I can't tell you a lot because it is very confidential. But what you should know is that if we do get into a serious relationship, and I hope we will," Chris added in quickly causing Sheva to smile then continued. "You would have to sign some papers saying that if I tell you anything you promise not to tell anybody or you will be arrested or even killed if it is too private, but I promise I will not tell you anything that will put you in danger." Chris said, trying to make her feel better after seeing her expression change to a shocked and worried one.

"Wow… that is pretty scary. So when I ask you how work was, just tell me it was good and I think that will increase my lifespan by a few years." She joked after drinking some of her iced tea.

Chris chuckled then grabbed a strawberry. As he ate it he thought about how grateful he was that Sheva took that information well. He felt that she needed to know it for their right now, seemingly bright future together. He shook the thought from his head, not wanting to let his mind wander too far. It was still their first date after all.

"Hey Chris?" Sheva called him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah?" He answered.

"Could I try a little bit of your wine? I don't backwash or anything. I'm just really curious.

"Sure Sheva." Chris chuckled as he handed her the glass. She eyed it for a second before asking "do you backwash?"

Chris let out a little laugh and shook his head no.

"Alright, I'm trusting you." She said, playfully cutting her eyes at him before taking a small sip from the cup. As soon as it touched her tongue, she put the drink back down and made a sound. Chris couldn't tell if she hated it or if she was just shocked by the taste.

"You aren't dying are you?" Chris asked as he pulled the drink back over to his side of the table.

"No, it just that I haven't had a drink in a while and it kinda caught me by surprise. But it's actually pretty good." Sheva told him once she got over the slightly strong taste.

"I knew you'd like it." Chris told her as he took another sip.

"Yeah yeah, I do but don't drink it all because I might get some more." Sheva joked and picked up her 2nd strawberry to eat it. The couple chatted about random things they liked and disliked while they waited for the waiter to come take their orders. After she did and went to the kitchen to put the orders in, the lights went all the way out and the stage lights came on, showing that Sam Smith was about to come on. Sheva moved around in her seat excitedly, happy she was about to see him in person.

Once he walked out on the stage, everybody stood up and applauded him. They all quieted down and sat back in their seats while he opened the show with some humor. Then he began to sing the first song of the night and couples got up to the dance floor and began to sway side to side with their lovers.

Chris watched and listened as Sheva sang along. She sounded like an angel when she sang and it surprised him how well she could hit high notes. He heard her sing before but she stopped and when he listened to her sing now, he wished she'd never stop. She just looked so happy and comfortable, singing like nobody was listening.

Their food arrived shortly after he was on his third some and they sat and ate happily while talking about the show.

"I just love his voice, he sounds just as great live." Sheva observed with a happy sigh.

"So do you. I didn't know you knew how to sing so well." Chris told her. She blushed a bit and tucked some hair behind her ear.

"I was in a choir in high school through college. And for my first job, I actually conducted a children's community choir." Sheva told him, the blush still staining her cheeks.

"That's cool, when did you quit?" Chris asked curiously.

"When I got pregnant with Ayanna. As you know from Claire, I was really mean and I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings since they were just little kids so I quit and I was going to pick it up after I had her but other things got in the way and I ended up being a stay at home mom." Sheva explained.

"Oh, well it you want to have that job again, I know there are a lot of community choirs around here that are looking for new members." Chris told her.

"I don't know, I have to try to get Ayanna in a preschool first. That's my main priority right now."

"Claire can probably help you with that, there are nice schools around where she lives."

"I'm not really worried about the schools. I'm worried about Ayanna and how she will be by herself. I tried to talk to her about school already and she doesn't want to go but she needs to work on her social skills with other children. I feel like it's partially my fault for not having another kid when I planned on it. We tried when she was 2 but it never happened and we eventually gave up. She was just so excited about having a little sibling but I feel bad we couldn't give one too her." Sheva explained.

"Aren't you glad you didn't have another one, I mean right now?" Chris asked.

"Well yeah, I am now. I don't think I could last being a single mother of 2." Sheva admitted sadly.

Chris quickly changed the subject to a happier one and they continued to eat and talk. After they finished their food he noticed Sheva swaying side to side while singing and listening to the music. He could tell she wanted to dance. Chris stood up from his seat and stood in front of her, extending his hand.

"May I have this dance, milady?" Chris asked with a grin.

"Of course." Sheva giggled and took his hand. Hey walked to the middle of the dancefloor and wrapped their arms around each other before swaying side to side to the music while Sheva sang along.

 _My mind runs away to you_

 _With the thought I hope you'll see_

 _Can't see where it's wandered to_

 _But I know where it wants to be_

 _I'm waiting patiently, though time is moving slow_

 _I have one vacancy, and I wanted you to know that_

 _You're the one designed for me_

 _A distant stranger that I will complete_

 _I know you're out there we're meant to be_

 _So keep your head up and make it to me_

 _And make it to me…_

They looked into each other's eyes as they sung the words, feeling like there was no one else there except for them in that moment. Chris spun Sheva around so her back was to him. He placed his hands over her stomach and pulled her close so he could rest his chin atop her head and close his eyes to savor the moment. She slipped her fingers between his and cuddled to him to listen to his steady heartbeat. Her heart was beating a mile a minute but listening to his calm heartbeat calmed hers down a bit and she relaxed and leaned more into his comforting embrace.

After the song was finished, they opened their eyes and cheered. Sam announced that there was only one more song for the night and said he had a special announcement.

"So I would like to invite Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar to the stage with me for a minute." Sam announced, motioning at the two to come up.

"Me?" Sheva asked out of shock as she looked back at Chris who had a mischievous smile on his face.

"You are the only Sheva Alomar here I believe." Chris told her as he grabbed her hand and led her up on the stage. The crowd applauded as the duo made it on stage and stood up to Sam. Sheva was in so much shock, she was actually standing up right beside Same Smith. She felt like she could pass out at any second.

Chris and Sam shook hands before Sam looked at Sheva and grabbed her hand, placing a kiss on the back of it. She almost fainted fight there.

"Ms. Alomar, do you know why you are up here?" He asked her as they walked over to the center of the stage where Chris was. Sheva shook her head no, afraid to say anything.

"Well it is because of him," Sam said then pointed to Chris who smiled then continued "he found a way to contact me and he told me that there was this very special and beautiful girl who he was taking on a date and he wanted it to be the most romantic date ever. He is a really great guy, you know that?" He asked her. Sheva smiled, her eyes filling with tears a little bit as she looked over to Chris and nodded once again.

"He cares about you so much, I can see it by how he looks at you and during the last song, you guys looked like it was just you two and nothing would separate you guys. I can hardly believe that you guys are on you very first date. You guys seem like you have known each other for years and years and years! Not that you guys are old or anything…" He added, causing them and the audience to laugh a little.

"But enough of me taking, Chris would like to say a few words to you." Sam said then passed the microphone over to Chris who took and walked over to Sheva, grabbing her hand in his own.

"Sheva I know we just met but I feel like I have known you for years and it scares me to death but I don't want to be scared anymore. You are not somebody I want to be with just to be with. You are the woman I want to share my future with and spend my life with and I know this may seem really fast but I just want to be completely honest with you. I have never felt so strongly for anyone in such a short period of time and it's crazy but true. So I want to ask you now, will you do me the honors and officially be my girlfriend?" Chris asked with so much love and admiration in his voice.

"Yes Chris, I'd love to be your girlfriend!" Sheva said happily and wrapped her arms around him. He happily returned the embrace while Sam was yelling "She said yes!" The crowd cheered, whistled, and awed at the 'proposal.'

Sheva was so happy she waited for him to ask her to be his girlfriend in his 'special' way. No man has ever gone that far for her and she was beyond glad that he cared so much.

They separated just enough to where their lips were centimeters away from each other like the night before.

"Can I kiss you right now?" Chris asked quietly to where only she could hear him. Sheva happily smiled and nodded. They inched closer and closed their eyes, both nervous and excited for the romantic gesture. Their lips gently met in a loving kiss as the crowd cheered and whistled louder for the couple, realizing the kiss was happening.

They separated from each other to catch their breath and rested their foreheads together.

"Can everybody clear the dancefloor for the new couple? I want to dedicate this last song to them and their hopefully everlasting relationship!" Sam said. Everybody cleared to the perimeter of the dancefloor, leaving the large area for Chris and Sheva. As Sam sang, the two began to happily dance while they were being cheered for.

To Sheva, this was the most romantic night of her life and she would never forget it…

0000

And scene! First of all, I LOVE Sam Smith and I feel like he writes the most romantic music and he has the best voice so I was like 'hey, why not add him to my story?' And I did! The song that the lyrics are to is 'Make it to Me' by of course Sam Smith. I hoped you guys enjoyed this and don't forget to leave feedback!

wolfspiritqueen: I hope you enjoyed this chapter and this is close to what you wanted!

Light of Moon 12: Hey! Thank you and they didn't get married, but we will see what happens in the future! Thank you for reading and I hope you like it!

~Sheva Redfield


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: I apologize for this being late, I have a book project that I am doing for school and its occupying most of my time! But I hope this makes up for it!

0000

"Alright, Ayanna. I think we have done enough crafts for the night," Claire said as she brushed the glitter off her hands. Spike watched from under the table as the glitter fell, making a small shiny pile of pink and purple on the floor. "Let's take our boxes to the kitchen to dry."

"Ok!" Ayanna replied and grabbed the paper plate that held her sloppily painted jewelry box and carefully walked to the kitchen, Spike following closely behind her. Claire chuckled at the two and grabbed the other 3 boxes they painted then made her way to the kitchen. They placed the boxes on the counter and Claire told Ayanna to go wash her hands and try to get off as much paint as she could without making a mess. Ayanna followed her directions and ran to the bathroom to clean herself up.

Claire made her way back to the dining table where they were doing their activity and began to clean up. While she was doing that, she heard the front door being unlocked and noted that Leon was home. He finally got the door unlocked and walked in the house, removing his muddy shoes and leaving them on the mat at the front door. He walked over and greeted Claire with a kiss before he plopped down on the couch with a relaxed sigh.

"How was work?" Claire asked, noticing the relaxation on his face when he was seated on the couch.

"Tiring, I did a lot of training and the new recruits had to run the obstacle course. That's why there was so much dirt on my shoes," Leon told her with a sigh.

"You better not be muddy yourself sitting on our couch like that," Claire slightly scolded him.

"Don't worry, I'm clean." Claire nodded with approval and continued to wipe down the table. Her and Leon started a small conversation and ended up talking about Chris and Sheva.

"I really hope they're having fun," Claire thought out loud as she sat down on the couch next to Leon.

"Well, Chris texted me on my way here," Leon began but when Claire looked at him with shock on her face added "I wasn't texting and driving, I promise."

Claire nodded her head in understanding and rested her head on Leon's shoulder, waiting for him to continue.

"He said that Sheva was really happy with everything and was really excited to see Sam Smith. They are on their way back right now thought. And he said Sheva was knocked out," Leon summarized the message.

"Aw, they are so cute together! And by knocked out I hope he meant asleep…" Claire added.

"He did, don't worry," Leon assured her then asked "where is Ayanna? I'm surprised she hasn't come to see me yet."

Claire frowned noticing that is had been about 15 minutes since she sent her to clean herself up. She quickly got up and ran to the bathroom, thinking for the worse, with Leon following behind. They looked in the bathroom, not seeing her in there then Claire let out a small panicked whimper as she ran from room to room looking for her, basically screaming her name. She wasn't anywhere to be found, neither was Spike.

"Leon, I promise you I sent her right into the bathroom. She has to be in here somewhere! Sheva's gonna kill me if I can't explain to her where she is when she gets back! Then she's going to hate me and my brother and never forgive me!" Claire cried with worry in her voice.

"Claire, honey calm down. We know she is somewhere in the house because our alarm would go off if she tried to get out a window or the back door and we were sitting in the living room so we would have seen her leave out the front door. Just calm down, we will find her. Spike is always with her so if we can find him then he will lead us right to her," Leon told her, calming her down a bit. Then he called for Spike who didn't respond either. Now Leon was beginning to get worried.

"Leon I think we should just call Sheva. She might know where she like to hide or something," Claire told him, pulling out her phone and going to her contacts. She looked up at him and after receiving a nod, she pressed the call button.

It rang a few times before Sheva answered.

"Hello?" Sheva's tired voice came over the phone.

"Um, Sheva. Please don't get mad but we can't find Ayanna but I promise she's still in the house." Claire said quickly then shut her mouth, nervously waiting for Sheva's response.

"What do you mean you can't find her?!" Sheva basically yelled over the phone, her voice filled with anger and worry.

"I'm really sorry Sheva! I told her to go wash her hands and 15 minutes later she didn't come back out to me!" Claire explained quietly, fearing being yelled at by her best friend again.

"Claire I am trying to be as calm as possible about this but if you cannot find my daughter in your house I will tear this town down building by building until I find her," Sheva told her, sounding like she was about to cry. Claire could hear Chris in the background trying to comfort her.

"Sheva I promise you she is in the house… please don't cry," Claire practically begged Sheva.

"Check the closets, all of the closets. Don't ask any questions, just do it," Sheva told her. Claire paused for a minute in confusion then quickly told Leon to check the closet in their room while she went to check the guest room closet.

Claire ran to the guest room and fully opened the slightly opened closet door. A relieved sigh came from her mouth as she saw both Spike and Ayanna sleeping peacefully on the closet floor. Spike had his paw crossed over her side as she snuggled him, hugging him in a sleepy embrace like one would with a stuffed animal.

"Sheva I found her, she was sleeping om the floor with Spike. They're both ok," Claire told her with much relief in her voice.

"Oh thank goodness!" Sheva cried, sniffing up the tears that fell from her worry.

"I'm really sorry I scared you like that Sheva… I'll make sure this doesn't happen again." Claire told Sheva reassuringly.

"It's alright Claire, I didn't mean to yell at you. I was just really worried and I just flipped… can you just put her to bed? Chris and I are on our way back. We are about 30 minutes away," Sheva told Claire, calming down some.

"It's fine Shev, I can't blame you for being upset. I'll go ahead and lay her down. I'll see you in a bit," Claire said then disconnected. Leon walked in and let out a small sigh of relief as well once he saw the two sleeping peacefully.

"I'm going to go ahead and put Ayanna in bed, can you take Spike out to the living room and get all of his stuff? Chris and Sheva will be back soon," Claire said. Leon nodded and shook Spike a bit, trying not to wake Ayanna. Spike quickly woke up and looked around then down at Ayanna. He rested his head on top of hers once again and began to close his eyes. Claire rolled her eyes but quickly grabbed her phone out of her pocket and snapped a picture, finding the two adorable.

"Come on Spike, we have to put Ayanna to bed…" Leon whispered, trying to get Spike's attention. Spike made a whining sound as Claire slowly untangled Ayanna's arms from around his as if he didn't want her to leave. Once they were separated Claire picked Ayanna up and carried her over to the bed. She stirred a bit and held onto Claire as she tried to put her down.

Claire looked at Leon and motioned him over to help her out while Spike watched them closely. Leon untangled Ayanna from Claire and once she was placed on the bed, she began to whine and reach for something to hold onto. Spike began to bark, waking Ayanna up fully. She tiredly looked around and pouted when she saw she was in the bed and Spike wasn't with her.

"I want to sleep with Spike…" Ayanna pouted as she began to get out of bed to get him.

"No no no, you need to stay in bed. You have already caused enough trouble sleeping in the closet. Never do that again, we were worried we lost you," Claire explained as she pulled her back in bed. This upset Ayanna very much as she began to have another temper tantrum, screaming and crying for Spike.

"No Ayanna, we are not going to have this again," Claire warned.

"I want Spike!" Ayanna cried, reaching for the dog. Spike began to cry as well, standing up with his paws on the bed. Claire would find it adorable how inseparable they had become if it was a different circumstance but she was getting irritated with both of them. She could tell Leon was also because he looked like he was going to yell any minute. One look from Claire kept him patient though.

"Calm down Ayanna, you need to get some sleep and Spike needs to get ready to go home with Mr. Chris," Claire explained in a calmer manner.

"Why can't I sleep with him until Mr. Chris comes to get him?" Ayanna asked, wiping the tears from her face.

"Because he can't get on the beds."

"I know, that's why we were sleeping in the closet!" Ayanna explained as she sniffled and pet Spike who had come over to her side of the bed.

"How about we let the both of you sleep on the couch in the living room until it's time for Spike to go and then you come back in here. Deal?" Leon asked with a slightly irritated tone in his voice. Ayanna sadly nodded and got out of the bed. She grabbed Claire's hand and they walked to the living room with Spike right beside them while Leon wen to grab some blankets.

"Auntie?" Ayanna called to Claire as they walked.

"Yes baby?"

"Is Uncle made at me? He looked mad…"

"No he's not mad, he just didn't like that you had a tantrum when we were telling you to do something. And I hope you know that your mommy will be hearing about this once she gets back," Claire told her. Ayanna nodded sadly, ready to accept the consequences to her bad behavior.

"When will mommy and Mr. Chris be back?" Ayanna asked once they reached the living room.

"In a few minutes," Claire answered. Leon came back with some blankets to stop Spike fur from getting all over the couch and a blanket for Ayanna to use. He quickly set up the couch for the both of them. Claire tucked Ayanna in and pet Spike once he settled down. They were both still tired and went right back to sleep in minutes.

Claire and Leon sat on the opposite couch and surveyed them, just to make sure no one would be hiding in closets again.

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Sheva thanked Chris as he handed her another tissue. Sheva was still shaky at the thought that Ayanna could have been lost and wandering the streets for all she knew. Chris had pulled over to help Sheva compose herself some more before they continued down the highway.

"It's alright Shev, they found her. She's safe," Chris softly told her as he rubbed her back in a comforting way.

"I know… it just scares me that she could have gotten outside somehow and someone could have hurt her or stolen her…" Sheva told him, fresh tears falling down her face. "I need to go back to Africa…"

"How would going back to Africa help anything?" Chris asked, still comforting her.

"If she were to get out there, most of the people in town would know her and be able to bring her back home but in America, nobody knows us and I feel less safe…" Sheva admitted.

"I completely get where you are coming from but you are going to be in your new house before the end of this week and you chose such a nice neighborhood with lots of young families so you should be able to make new friends easily. It just takes time. And besides when you do move, you'll probably be with Ayanna 24/7 so you won't have to worry about someone else losing her," Chris explained. He felt really bad and guilt for Sheva feeling lost. He wished he could introduce her to more people and help her make other friends so she could feel more comfortable here but most of the people he knew worked for the BSAA so they would always be busy when he was. He just hoped that she would meet a random person in the store and make a friend like most people in America do.

Chris and Sheva talked for a little while more before Chris started his car back up and got back on the highway. He kept looking over at Sheva who still seemed shaken up and grabbed her hand. She turned to look and him and gave him a beautiful smile.

"Everything is going to be ok, you will adjust just fine," he reassured her.

"Thanks Chris," she thanked him then looked out the window, getting lost in her thoughts.

Tonight was great overall. After Chris and Sheva finished dancing at the restaurant, they went backstage and talked to Sam for a while and got a few pictures.

"Take care of her, Redfield. She's special," Sam told Chris. Chris looked down at her and smiled.

"I know," he responded and leaned down to kiss Sheva's forehead.

Sheva smiled at the memory that was made only minutes ago. She knew she would never forget this night and how much she learned about Chris. He was a sweet and tender man, unlike Derek. Chris showed more passion and affection in the few kisses she got tonight than Derek had showed in their years of marriage. It made her angry to think about him at the moment but she quickly let it go.

' _You're with Chris now, Sheva.'_ She thought to herself. She looked back at him, his eyes fixed on the road. She smiled at him then looked down at their joined hands. She lifted his hand up and placed a gentle kiss on the back of it before placing their hands back where they were. She saw him give a small smile but he still stayed focused on the road.

The rest of the ride was a silent one though it didn't bother either one of them, it was a comfortable silence.

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Chris pulled up into the driveway of his sister's house and put the car in park. Sheva had fallen asleep once again, resting her head on his shoulder of the arm he wasn't using. It didn't bother him at all, he actually like the small gesture. He gently moved the curly pieces of hair from her face and placed a kiss on her forehead, trailing down until her captured her lips with his own. He pulled back when she woke up, her eyes fluttering open revealing her soft brown orbs. She looked at him with a smile then yawned and stretched.

"I'd love to wake up to that instead of an alarm," Sheva told him seriously as she cupped his face and gave him another kiss.

"Same here," he told her, caressing her cheek. "You're so beautiful…"

"Thank you, you too," she told him with a smile.

"Thanks," he chuckled. He then unlocked the door and got out, walking over to Sheva's side and opening the door for her. He helped her out then closed the door. He then walked to the trunk and opened it, retrieving two bags then closing it.

"I got you and Ayanna presents, I almost forgot them," Chris chuckled as he handed the bags to her. One was a black bag decorated with cream designs and the other was a larger pink back that had girly things written all over it.

"Can I open mine now or should I wait?" Sheva asked, hoping she could open it now.

"I would rather you wait until I leave to open it," Chris told her, nervously scratching the back of his neck. Sheva nodded slowly, noticing his nervousness. She then remembered that she had to give him his watch.

"Oh! I got you something also. Can you hold his real quick?" Sheva asked, gesturing towards the bags. He nodded and took the bags from her.

Chris watched as she reached into her inner jacket pocket and pulled out a black box with a fancy label. She took the bags back from him and handed him the box, telling him to open it.

Chris chuckled and opened the box, revealing the sliver watch. The time was in roman numerals just how liked it and the background was solid black, a great contrast with the silver. The watch had various button that ranged from a blue light to alarms. He quickly removed the watch he was wearing, an old one that he had bought for himself and put his new one on, smiling the whole time.

"Sheva I love it, thank you so much," Chris told her as he gave her a kiss and pulled her into a hug.

"You're welcome and thank Claire also, she was the one who told me that you like watches. I did the rest though…" Sheva chuckled, returning the hug. Chris laughed and released her with a happy sigh. Tonight was amazing, he couldn't ask for more.

Chris walked Sheva to the front door and unlocked the door with his key, knowing that if he rang the doorbell or knocked that Spike would start barking and possibly wake Ayanna up.

They walked in to be greeted by Claire, attacking them with hugs and kisses.

"How did it go?" She asked excitedly, grabbing both of their hands.

"It was great, amazing, beautiful…" Sheva told her with a dreamy look in her eyes. Claire squealed with excitement before she was shushed by Leon who pointed to Ayanna and Spike resting on the couch. She nodded and composed herself.

"Aww, I see they got along well," Sheva observed as she walked over to where the two were sleeping.

"Yeah, it was kind of annoying. They're cute when they are sleeping but when we woke both of them up, they started crying, yes Spike was crying too, because we were trying to put Ayanna in bed and Spike could get up there with her," Claire explained as she pulled up the picture she took of the two earlier and showed it to the couple.

They both awed at the picture. "My babies…" Sheva cooed at the photo, causing them all to look at her funny.

"Yes, I said MY babies. Spike is officially my baby now," Sheva told them seriously causing them to chuckle at her.

"How would you feel if I said the same thing about the picture?" Chris asked curiously.

"Well, Ayanna is my baby so you'll have to fight me on that one…" Sheva joked then added "I don't mind you saying that, I know it would make Ayanna very happy." Chris chuckled and nodded his head, taking note of what she told him.

"I send the picture to both of you and then you can have matching lock screens and backgrounds or whatever," Claire joked.

"Ok!" They both said at the same time. Claire shook her head at the two, amazed at how comfortable they were with one another. She would have to ask in detail what happened on this date. She sent the picture off the both of them and once they both got the pictures set, Chris was saying goodbye.

"I should probably go, I still need to work tomorrow…" Chris said as he walked towards to the couch and pet Spike. Spike woke up and excitedly licked Chris, happy to see his owner. He removed himself from Ayanna and the couch and went to show Sheva some love. She ruffled up his fur and gave him kisses back, calling him her baby that made Chris laugh.

Chris looked down at the sleeping Ayanna, with a smile. She seemed to be having a good dream, she was grinning and giggling in her sleep.

"Sweet dreams, sweetheart," Chris said and place a gentle kiss on Ayanna's forehead, causing her to smile bigger and let out a small giggle. He chuckled at her and stood up walking back over to the group and Spike. Claire and Sheva were awing at his little exchange with Ayanna.

"Chris you are such great father material it kills me you haven't had a child yet!" Claire exclaimed with a playful groan.

"Maybe in the next year or so…" Chris said looking at Sheva who smiled and shrugged at his comment. He chuckled at her and said he was finally going to leave. He grabbed Spike's leash and hooked him up. He grabbed the rest of the things he brought over for Spike and was ready to leave. He walked over to Sheva and placed a quick kiss on her lips before telling her he would see her later. Then he was out the door.

Sheva walked to the door and took her time locking it. She was smiling ear to ear about the fact that they could kiss openly now without hesitation. When she turned around she could tell she wasn't the only one excited about that.

"Awww! You guys kiss on the lips!" Claire exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly. Sheva chuckled at her and nodded, approving her statement.

"Yes we do. But I'm really tired now and I just want to go to bed. I promise I will tell you all about the date tomorrow. Goodnight," Sheva wished goodnight to Leon and Claire then grabbed Ayanna, carrying her to their room.

Sheva gently placed Ayanna down on the bed and tucked her in, grateful that Claire already had her in her PJ's. She placed a goodnight kiss on her cheek then quickly went to remove her makeup and take a shower. Once she got out she finished up her usual night routine and laid down next to Ayanna.

Just as she was about to close her eyes and fall into a peaceful sleep, she saw the gift bag Chris got for her and went to grab it and open it. There was a lot of paper in the top of it which Sheva quickly removed and the first thing she saw was a mini perfume set that had travel lotion, perfume, body wash, etc. with the scent vanilla, one of her favorites. She took that out of the bag with a smile and placed it on the night stand.

She reached her hand in again and pulled out two packs of her favorite candy that she told him about the day they met.

' _Aw, he remembered!'_ Sheva thought happily. She pulled the last thing out of the bag then sat the bag on the floor by her feet. The last thing was a black velvet box with an expensive jewelry companies name indented in it. The opened the box and had to cover her mouth to prevent from squealing out loud and waking Ayanna.

In the box was a pure silver necklace that had her name on it. She gently took it out of the box, tears of happiness filling her eyes as she turned it over to see the back.

' _I just met you, and I love you…'_

 _~Chris_

Sheva let out a small sob as she read the back. This was the nicest gift she had ever gotten. And a plus, he just admitted he loved her. It was indented in the necklace so he had to mean it. She wanted to tell him so badly how she loved him but she was afraid that it would scare him off and he would think she was too clingy. But he obviously felt the same way she did and it warmed her heart.

She carefully put the necklace on and wiped her tears away. She vowed to never take it off unless it was for a good reason. She got up and discarded the trash from the bag and threw it away. As she climbed back in bed, she grabbed her phone and sent Chris a message she has been too afraid to send until now.

' _I love you too, Chris.'_

Message Sent

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A/N: Yay, they said it! I'm really sorry I didn't update last week but I hope this makes up for it! Sorry if this seems like their relationship is going fast, I was really excited to write this chapter. Don't forget to review and tell me what you liked the most! I'd love to hear it! Thanks for reading as always!

Wolfspiritqueen: No problem! Thank you! I was trying to go for a really romantic feel! Yay! It's great to know there is another Sam Smith lover other than me and my mom haha. I guess you can call them that now, they sure seem like it! Who knows, maybe one day they will get married! Or I might just be really mean and make this a terrible ending story where they never get married and never get together! HAHAHAHAHAHA! Nah, I'm kidding… I hope you enjoyed and thank you for reading and reviewing! Hugs!

~Sheva Redfield


	15. Chapter 15

*Disclaimer: I do not own the Wii of any Just Dance games!*

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Sheva was woken up by Ayanna the next morning and they decided to spend about 30 minutes in bed before they started their day. Today Sheva decided they were going to officially move in to the new house. She had to do some minor things to the house but she was sure she'd be done by the evening. Sheva had planned for them to go to the store and get groceries and essentials for the house that they had not already gotten but before that, she was going to take Ayanna to the park so she could drain her energy and not run around in the store.

"Can we go to the park by our house?" Ayanna asked excitedly when Sheva announced what they were doing for the day.

"I guess so, baby. We'll start getting ready in a bit alright?" Sheva said to Ayanna, patting down her messy hair. Ayanna nodded excitedly and snuggled up to Sheva, lying her head on her chest, listening to her heart beat.

"Are you and Mr. Chris boyfriend and girlfriend now?" Ayanna asked, grabbing the necklace Chris had given Sheva and observing it.

"Yes we are," Sheva answered, chuckling at her care-free daughter. Just then Sheva's video chat started to ring on her phone and she picked it up, automatically knowing it was Chris.

After Sheva sent him the text last night, she went to the living room and they talked for a while on video chat. When it was getting really late, Chris promised her that he'd called her once he got a break at work.

Sheva happily clicked the answer button and put her phone at a nicer angle so he could see her better.

"Hey Chris," Sheva greeted.

"Good morning beautiful," Chris responded making Sheva blush. She still got butterflies in her stomach when he called her cute names.

"Good morning," Sheva sighed happily.

"Hi Mr. Chris!" Ayanna excitedly greeted him, coming off Sheva's chest and placing her head right on the pillow next to hers so she could be in the video.

"Hey Princess, how did you sleep?" Chris asked, chuckling at her messy hair.

"It was good!" Ayanna answered with a big smile making both the adults laugh at her.

"So, what are you guy's plans today?" Chris asked, leaning back in his office chair.

"Well we are going to get up in about ten minutes and get ready to drop everything off at the house then go to the park by the new house for about half an hour, and after that we are going to pick up some groceries and that's all I really have planned for us. Maybe I'll do some more decorating," Sheva explained and Ayanna nodded in approval.

"That sounds fun," Chris said.

"Sure it does… I'm already tired thinking about all the groceries I'm going to have to pick up and carry. Ugh, I want to stay in bed all day," Sheva chuckled, and rubbed her eyes.

"Don't be lazy mommy!" Ayanna giggled and poked her mother's stomach, causing her to giggle.

"Oh so someone is ticklish on their stomach," Chris observed with a smile. Sheva playfully rolled her eyes and then thought about the night before when she poked him in the side and he giggle.

"Well I know you are ticklish on your sides. Remember when we were in the car and I poked you? You giggled a bit but then you acted like nothing happened so if you dare try to tickle me, just know I will do the same to you," Sheva playfully threatened, pointing a finger at him through the phone.

"Oooh, she told you!" Ayanna told Chris, pointing her finger at the phone like Sheva did seconds before.

"When did you become such a little instigator," Chris joked. Ayanna looked up at Sheva confused and waiting for an explanation.

"It means someone who causes more trouble in an already bad situation… or something like that," Sheva explained. Ayanna's bottom lip poked out as if she was going to cry but Sheva stopped her.

"Sweetheart, he was joking, try not to be so sensitive," Sheva told her with a smile, trying to make her feel better.

"Yeah, I was just kidding. I know you're not a troublemaker Princess, don't get upset," Chris said in a softer tone.

"Okay," Ayanna said quietly and hid her face in Sheva's hair. Sheva looked back at Chris in the video and saw that he looked quite regretful of what he said even thought it was made clear that it was a joke.

"She's fine Chris, you don't need to feel bad. She'll get over it," Sheva told him, trying to lighten the situation. "You know he was joking don't you Ayanna?" Sheva asked once she didn't get a response from Chris. Ayanna nodded but did not uncover her face.

"Do you still love Mr. Chris?" Sheva asked, surprising Chris. Ayanna nodded again with no hesitation and came out from hiding to smile at the camera. A wave of relief flew over Chris once he saw her smile and say that she loved him causing him to give her a toothy smile.

"She's actually told me multiple times that she loved you but I told her not to say anything to you because I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable," Sheva explained.

"I wouldn't have been uncomfortable, it actually just made my day," Chris told her, his smile getting bigger. He then let out a squeal and got up and danced around his office, the video still recording him.

Sheva and Ayanna laughed at him and Sheva said, "And that just made my day."

"Mine too!" Ayanna added with a giggle, "We should have a dance party one day!"

"We can do that tonight, I can bring my Wii over and pick up a Just Dance game and see who can dance better," Chris said as he sat down.

"Oh this will be fun to see, I'm quite excited to get out of bed now. Seeing you two dance it off will be a great home video," Sheva said with a chuckle.

"Um, you're gonna dance too! This is a family dance off!" Chris laughed. Sheva laughed along with him. She thought it was so cute how Chris already referred to them as a family. She didn't think she could fall in love any faster than she already was but that idea was quickly fading away.

"Alright but I warn you, my hips don't lie," Sheva warned him with a giggle.

"Mine don't either," Chris said with a raised eyebrow.

"We'll see about that," Sheva said, cutting her eyes at him. He did the same to her and they looked at each other like that for about a minute before Ayanna began to wave her hand in front of Sheva's face. She giggled when Sheva captured her hand with her lips and pretended to bite her causing her to squeal and laugh.

"Nom nom nom," Sheva said as she played around with Ayanna.

"Mommy! You don't bite your babies!" Ayanna exclaimed as she giggled and tried to pull her hand away.

"Since when?" Sheva asked, pretending to be confused. Chris chuckled at the two then sadly sighed. It was just about time for him to go continue with training. He really didn't want to go but he knew, the sooner he got his work done, the sooner he could be with the two girls he loved playing a silly game.

"Well ladies, I have to go now," Chris began.

"Why?" Ayanna asked sadly and Sheva pouted right beside her.

"I have to go do my job, but the sooner I get to work and you guys get out of bed, the faster the day goes and we can see each other," Chris told them as he stood up from his office chair and stretched.

Sheva sighed and yawned once more, "I guess you're right. We will see you soon then. Love you."

"Yeah we love you!" Ayanna chimed in making both adults laugh.

"I love you guys too, very much. See you in a bit," Chris said happily.

"See ya," Sheva told him and blew a kiss at the phone before hanging up. She sat up him bad and stretched before she kicked her legs over the side and stood up.

"Let's go get some breakfast so we can go to the house sooner and you can go to the park," Sheva said as she reached her hand out for Ayanna to grab. She quickly exited the bed and grabbed her hand then together they walked to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

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One hour later both girls were ready to go. Sheva was dressed casually with some denim jeans and white T-shirt and Ayanna was dressed in some capris and a pretty pink top. Sheva decided to wear little make-up since she would not be dressing to impress anyone today and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail with a few bangs loose and she did the same with Ayanna except for all her hair was pulled into a ponytail and she wore a bow headband.

Claire helped Sheva load the last of their things into her car while Ayanna sat in the living room patiently waiting.

"I'm really gonna miss you guys being here," Claire said as she placed the gift bag that Chris had gotten for Ayanna in Sheva's trunk.

"I am too, I'm gonna hate paying bills again," Sheva commented playfully earning a small punch in the arm from Claire.

"Don't worry about that, Chris will probably want to help you pay yours."

"Which I will not let him do," Sheva answered quickly.

"Who knows, maybe he'll be living with you in a matter of weeks," Claire told her as she thought about it.

"Claire you are moving faster in our relationship than we are," Sheva chuckled.

"I just want the both of you to be happy, that's all," Claire responded with a shrug of her shoulders. Sheva playfully rolled her eyes and shut the trunk with a sigh. She looked back at the house, thinking that once she left, she would be an independent single mother again.

Claire noticed her friends thoughtful look and patted her back, "everything will be fine Sheva. You are going to do great. And remember, you can always come back over when you think you need a break, Leon and I are here for you. I promise you Chris will be willing to help anytime also. So just take everything day by day and you'll be fine," Claire told her, wrapping her arms around her.

Sheva returned the hug with a quiet "thank you." She was so grateful that she already had amazing people to look out for her and could feel her nervousness slipping away. She had to be strong for not only herself but for Ayanna.

"No problem Shev, you remember your way there?" Claire asked as they walked back to the house.

"Yep," Sheva answered. Once the two made it to the house, Ayanna jumped up from the couch and ran to her mother.

"Can we go to the park now?" She asked excitedly.

"Yes, sweetheart. We'll go in a minute," Sheva chuckled at her excitement.

"Come here Ayanna, give Auntie a hug. I'm not going to be seeing you every morning now," Claire told her sadly and wrapped her arms around her 'niece'.

"I'm gonna miss you," Ayanna said sadly and held onto her tight.

"I'm going to miss you too. But whenever you want to talk to me or see me just give me a call and I'll come visit you or we can go out somewhere ok?"

"Ok," Ayanna replied, feeling a little bit better. Claire picked her up in her arms and rocked her back and forth.

"And sweetheart, I'm gonna need you to be strong for you and your mommy." Ayanna nodded and kissed Claire on the cheek.

"I will. I love you Auntie."

"Aww! I love you too baby!" Claire said excitedly and gave Ayanna a bunch of kisses, making her laugh. After a few seconds she put Ayanna down and she ran to her mother who picked her up and gave her another kiss. Claire and Sheva hugged once more before Sheva and Ayanna headed out the door.

Claire watched form the front door and Sheva buckled Ayanna in her car seat then got in her own. She waved at the two once more before Sheva drove off, heading towards the new house. Claire sighed and shut the door, taking her time to lock it.

'It's going to be a lot quieter around here,' Claire thought sadly.

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Sheva pulled up into the driveway and parked her car into the garage for the first time. She quickly got out and unbuckled Ayanna to let her run around while she brought everything in the house.

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After a quick ten minutes of Sheva finishing with some things in the house, the two were walking to the park. Sheva was actually very grateful she choose a house around the corner from the park so they could walk to it.

"Come on mommy! I can see the park from here!" Ayanna whined as she pulled her mother along.

"Ok sweetheart, I know you are excited but take your time. You don't want to lose all your energy now do you?" Sheva asked as she pulled Ayanna back towards her. Ayanna shook her head no and calmed down but had an occasional jump of excitement.

The final arrived to the entrance of the park and before Sheva could set foot on the grass, Ayanna was running off to the nearest slide. Sheva chuckled at her and found a bench to sit on so she could supervise her.

Sheva watched as Ayanna climbed up slides and went back down them and got on the little bee ride that would rock back and forth. She wished she would never grow up and stay a child for ever but she knew that wouldn't happen.

Sheva shook off the thought and smiled when she saw Ayanna playing with a little brunette girl, who looked about the same age as her. They were giggling and playing tag. Ayanna looked back at her mother and waved to her happily before she ran off to chase her new little friend. Sheva was so focused on Ayanna and her new friend that she didn't notice when a woman came and sat down by her.

"Hello," the woman greeted her politely.

"Oh hi, sorry I didn't notice you sat next to me," Sheva chucked as she turned to face the woman who sat next to her.

She looked like she was in her mid-twenties like Sheva was. She had long brown hair but not as long as Sheva's that was pulled into a ponytail. Her skin was a light tanned color and she had soft and kind facial features. She had a smile that told you she was a naturally kind and happy person and her green eyes had a kind feel to them too.

"Oh no problem!" She responded as she waved it off. She crossed her leg over the other and leaned back against the bench. "Is the little one in the pink your daughter?" She asked nicely.

"Oh yeah, she is," Sheva responded kindly.

"I was wondering because she looks just like you," she told her.

"Really? People usually say she looks like her father."

"Oh, well right now she looks like she's a mini you," the woman joked causing Sheva to giggle a bit.

"Well thank you. Do you have any children out here?" Sheva asked then immediately regretted it. Of course she had a child out there! Why else would she be there?

The woman chuckled and pointed to the little brunette girl who was playing with Ayanna, "that's my little Amber right there. It seems like she's making a new friend with your daughter."

"It does seem like that. It's amazing because we just moved here and I'm trying to get her to make new friends," Sheva explained.

"Oh! I was wondering why I never saw you here! Did you just move into 404?" Sheva nodded. "Oh well you're my new neighbor! We live in 406," She told her happily.

"Oh that's amazing! At least I know one of my neighbors now. By the way, my name is Sheva and my daughter's name is Ayanna," Sheva told her, extending her hand for a proper greeting.

"And my name is Michelle," she responded, shaking Sheva's hand. The two girls chatted away for a few minutes before Michelle asked "Is your husband working? I thought he would be here."

"Oh, I'm not married, Ayanna's father is in Africa," Sheva informed her.

"Oh. I'm not trying to get personal but who was that man I saw come to your house with the flowers? I think he had a dog too?" Michelle asked.

Sheva smiled and tucked her bang behind her ear, "that was my boyfriend, Chris."

"Oh, how cute! He seems so sweet."

"He is. He's amazing with Ayanna too so it's a win-win situation for me," Sheva joked and Michelle laughed, nodding with understanding.

"I think we'll get along just fine, I'm a single mom also. But unlike you I don't have a boyfriend yet," Michelle chuckled.

"Oh I'm sorry. How long have you been a single mom?" Sheva asked.

"About a year now, how about you?"

"It hasn't even been a month," Sheva admitted honestly.

"And you already have a boyfriend?!" Michelle asked surprised.

"Yeah… I know it's really early and all but he's my best friends brother so I already trust him and we went on a date last night and he's amazing with Ayanna and he got me this really sweet necklace so I know he cares about me," Sheva said quickly, trying not to scare of her possibly new friend. Michelle studied the necklace and asked Sheva if there was anything on the back.

Sheva flipped the necklace around to show her the back and she gasped, a loud "Awww," coming from her mouth.

"Even though you guys just met and are just starting a relationship, I can tell he really adores you. And that is the cutest necklace I have ever seen!" Michelle told her happily.

"Thank you," Sheva thanked her as she held the necklace between her fingers. It seemed like everybody she met knew that Chris really like her and honestly it made Sheva feel special. And that didn't happen often. The two chatted for about five more minutes before Sheva told her that she needed to go get some more groceries for the house.

"It was a pleasure meeting you," Sheva told her as she gathered her purse and put it on.

"Same to you," Michelle told her with a smile.

"Ayanna! It's time to go sweetheart!" Sheva called to Ayanna who was on the opposite side of the playground. Seconds later she could see Ayanna and Amber running towards them.

"Mommy! Mommy! I made a new friend! Her name is Amber and she has a doggie like Mr. Chris!" Ayanna told her mother excitedly as she jumped up and down. Sheva could tell Amber was just as excited because she was telling her mother all about Ayanna too.

"That's great baby, I'm glad you made a new friend but we have to get ready to go so we can be ready when Mr. Chris comes over," Sheva told her as she tried her best to lay down the pieces of hair that was stickling up.

"Yeah Amber, we need to go home too. I have to get you some lunch," Michelle told Amber.

"But I don't want to go, I want to stay and play with Amber!" Ayanna whined as she grabbed Amber's hand.

"Yeah mommy, can we play for five more minutes? Please?" Amber asked Michelle in her sweetest voice.

"Please mommy?" Ayanna asked just like Amber.

"I'm sorry girls but we have things to do. Maybe you guys can play together another day," Sheva told the two pleading girls.

"Yeah you guys will be able to play again soon, you're right across the street from each other."

Defeated, the two girls stopped pleading and settled with pouting. Amber even shed a few tears but quickly wiped them up when Michelle told her that she would have to take a nap when she kept it up.

"How about this," Sheva began, "we will get each other's phone numbers and we can try to make a playdate for some time soon. How does that sound?" Sheva offered to the two girls.

Both the girls jumped with excitement chanting "Playdate! Playdate!" So Michelle and Sheva quickly traded phone numbers and promised to set up a play date soon for their daughters.

They all said their last goodbyes and went their separate ways.

Sheva and Ayanna walked back to the house and quickly got in the car to go to the store.

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Sheva was very grateful that she let Ayanna run around to drain all her energy because she fell asleep in the store which made shopping 10 times easier and faster. They were in and out in a matter of 30 minutes and heading back to the house.

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A/N: I'm alive! Sorry for the late update but I will be posting another right away. So I hope you enjoyed and leave feedback!

Wolfspititqueen: I'm glad it made you happy! I hope you enjoyed this and thank you for reviewing!

Wolverine23: Thank you, I hope you enjoyed!

~Sheva Redfield


	16. Chapter 16

***Disclaimer: I do not own the lyrics mentioned in this chapter!***

They arrived back at the house by 3:50 and Sheva carried Ayanna inside to lay her down on the couch for a nap and then went back to the car to bring all the groceries in. She put all the groceries and organized the fridge before taking a quick shower and waking Ayanna up for her to take one. She cried the whole time due to tiredness and once she was done, Sheva did her hair and dressed her in her pajamas before laying her down in her bed to finish her nap.

While she was napping, Sheva did some decorating around the house until 5 when she got a phone call from Chris.

"Hello handsome," Sheva boldly greeted. Chris chuckled, taken aback by her greeting.

"Hello Love, whatcha up to?" He asked.

"I was doing some decorating while Ayanna was taking a nap but I think I am done now, I lost all my energy," Sheva joked then plopped down on the couch with a sigh.

"Well you better get it back if you don't want to lose the dance off. I'm at the store buying the game now," Chris informed her.

"Oh trust me, I will be ready when you come over. I won't go down without a fight," Sheva giggled.

"We'll see about that," Chris said.

"We sure will…"

"So… how was the trip to the park?"

Sheva smiled remembering every detail, "it was amazing! Ayanna made a new friend and I became friends with her mom and we talked while the kids played. It was so sweet, you should have seen the two. They were stuck to each other like glue, holding hands and all. When we told them it was time to go they begged us to let them play for five more minutes but we got them to calm down by telling them that they are across the street from each other and that we would make a playdate for them sometime soon. So Michelle and I exchanged phone numbers and I guess we'll probably set up a playdate for them before Sunday. I'm just so happy that Ayanna could make a friend on her own," she told him happily.

Chris chuckled at the happiness evident in her voice, "I'm glad you guys could make friends. It seems like Ayanna made herself a best friend too."

"Yeah she did. And guess what? Michelle thought you were my husband because she saw you when you came with Spike on the day I first brought the stuff in," Sheva told him.

"Oh really? And what did you say?" Chris asked curiously.

"I just told her that Derek was in Africa and that you were my boyfriend," Sheva told him simply.

"Were?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, I told her you were my boyfriend."

"When you say were, you are implying that I was your boyfriend at that point but I'm not now," Chris told her.

"Oh well I'm sorry. I meant to say you ARE my boyfriend. Better?" Sheva asked, chuckling at the worry in his voice.

"Much better. I thought you were trying to dump me for a minute. I almost had a heart attack in the middle of the store," Chris told her with a relieved sigh.

"Chris, you don't have to worry about me dumping you. I don't plan on it. I love you too much to do that."

"Same goes for you. I love you way way way, too much to do that," Chris told with exaggeration on 'way'.

"I love you too baby," Sheva told him once again.

"Baby, baby, baby, OHHHHH!" Chris began to sing in a high pitched voice.

"You know you could sing better if you actually tried," Sheva laughed.

"BABY, BABY, BABY, OHHHHHHH! THOUGHT YOU'D ALWAYS BE MINE, MINEEEEE!" Chris continued singing, not paying attention to Sheva's comment.

"Aren't you in the middle of the store right now?" Sheva asked, still laughing at his 'singing'.

"SHEV YOU GUESSED IT! HOO! YOU WAS RIGHT!" Chris responded.

"I'm so done with you right now," Sheva joked.

"It's ok, I'm done. A worker is glaring at me right now. I'm scared Shev," Chris told her, pretending to sound scared.

"Aw, you poor thing," Sheva giggled.

"And the worst part is, that person has to check me out..."

"Good luck, don't get kicked out, Chris. We're still expecting you," Sheva scolded him playfully.

"Thanks, that totally helps me out," Chris said sarcastically. "I text you when I'm outside your house, alright? Love you."

"Alright, love you too." Then they disconnected. Sheva sighed and got up off the couch. Sheva made her way up the stairs and up to Ayanna's room. She opened the door just enough so she could see in. She saw that Ayanna was still lying in bed but she wasn't asleep. She had a bear that Derek bought her at the airport just before they got on the plane.

She was talking to it but Sheva couldn't make out what she was saying but she knew it must have been good because she was smiling. Ayanna hugged the bear tight before she looked at the door and said, "Mommy, you can come in."

Sheva chuckled and walked in her room then took a seat on the small be next to her.

"What were you saying to your bear?" Sheva asked as she ruffled up her hair.

"I was telling him that I love him and I miss him," Ayanna told her and hugged the bear again. Sheva gave a sad smile knowing that Ayanna was talking to the bear as if it was her father.

"Sweetheart, you know you can ask me to call Daddy so you can talk to him whenever you want right?"

"I don't want to talk to him! He's mean to you when you didn't do anything to him!" Ayanna told her, getting upset with her father.

"He's not mean sweetheart, Daddy and Mommy just have some things we need to talk about but don't let the way Daddy is to me change how you feel about him, ok?"

"Ok…" Ayanna agreed.

"SO do you want me to call him so you can talk to him?" Sheva asked as she pulled her phone out her back pocket. Ayanna nodded and Sheva called his number before handing the phone to Ayanna.

"What?" Derek answered grumpily.

"Daddy?" Ayanna asked, shocked by his tone of voice.

"Oh Ayanna? Hey ladybug, I didn't know it was you! How are you?" Derek asked, quickly changing his tone and hoping that Ayanna didn't worry about how he answered at first.

"Why did you answer the phone like that?" Ayanna asked sadly, already knowing the answer.

"Um, I'm just not feeling well…" Derek told her, making up an excuse for his rudeness.

"That's not true…" Ayanna told him, hoping she could get the truth. She looked up at her mother who seemed like she was ready to throw something.

"Let's now worry about that now, ok? How have you been?" Derek asked, trying to change the subject.

"Ayanna give me the phone. I'm going to go outside and I want you to stay in your room and don't come out until I come and get you ok?" Sheva told her as she grabbed the phone from her hands. Ayanna sadly nodded, knowing what was going to happen.

"It's alright baby. We are just going to talk," Sheva told Ayanna and leaned over to give her a kiss on her forehead. Sheva stood up and quickly began walking out of her bedroom.

"Sheva what are you doing?! Give the phone back to Ayanna so I can finish talking to her! You have some nerve-," Derek began but was cut off by Sheva.

"Wait until I get outside," Sheva growled quietly.

"No YOU wait until you get outside. I can say whatever I want right now but you better keep your mouth shut so Ayanna doesn't hear anything!" Derek yelled to prove his point.

Sheva quickly found herself at the front door and yanked it open before leading herself outside and slamming it loudly behind her.

"Derek you listen and you listen well. If you want to be mad at me for whatever reason then so be it. I could care less what you think about me. But the minute it starts affecting Ayanna, that's when I start to care. You need to know that whenever you get a call from me, it is for Ayanna so don't answer the phone saying 'what' like that because you'll be saying that to her and not me. She knows that something is going on. I don't know if you are aware of that yet but she knows. She's afraid to talk to you because she thinks you are going to disrespect me, that's why she hasn't asked to call you! You just need to get out of your little pity party for yourself and stop taking it out on me that I have custody over our daughter. It is not my fault that you were messing around with someone while you had a family. You did that to yourself and now you are paying the consequences. So just deal with it like the GROWN man you are supposed to be!" Sheva yelled, not thinking twice at the fact she had neighbors. Her blood was boiling and she felt like she was going to explode any minute.

"Sheva I don't know if YOU are aware but the only reason she is getting an idea of what's happening is because you can't control your emotions around her. I have the freedom of speech and I am going to use it! And you know if you actually care about Ayanna, you would still be here in Africa letting her see her father instead of running away from your problems. Did you ever stop to think about that? You took Ayanna away from ALL of her family and friends and the only place she knows as home just because you got your feelings hurt. If you think about it you are not protecting her from anything, you are just making her life miserable! You could have moved by your mother so all you had to do was drive down the street so Ayanna could see me every day but nooo. You wanted to be selfish and think about yourself and move to a different country!" Derek yelled right back at her.

Sheva let out a loud irritated yell then continued to yell at him, "You know what? You try to blame this on me but I wasn't the one who CHEATED knowing that I had a daughter. I wasn't the one to take weekends off spending time with my OTHER family instead of being at home spending time with Ayanna like I promised her. I am not the selfish one here," Sheva paused to catch her breath and wipe the angry tears from her eyes. "You know what? I'm done with you. I can promise you that I will not be talking to you unless it has something to do with Ayanna from now on. I am done entertaining this arguing. Now I am going to go back in this house and let Ayanna speak to you… that is if she wants to," Derek cut her off.

"She will speak to me. I will talk to her before I get off this phone tonight," Derek told her.

"I will not force her to talk to you if she doesn't want to. The court told me that I didn't even have to let her talk to you if I didn't want to. But like I was saying before, change your little attitude before I go back inside and try to talk to Ayanna without causing another problem. You will not carry any of your anger over to her or I promise you, you will be hearing from me and the court again. Is that understood? Try to be mature for once in your life," Sheva told him calmly and waited for a response.

"Whatever Sheva, let me talk to my daughter so I can get back to being happy without hearing your voice," Derek told her in a cold voice.

Despite her wanting to yell again she chuckled at his childish comment and responded, "Whatever makes you happy dear."

Sheva then opened the front door more calmly this time and closed it, then walked up to Ayanna's room where she was over at her mini play stove playing with her kitchen set. Sheva smiled at her once she looked at her and walked over to her. She kneeled down and asked, "Do you still want to talk to your Daddy?"

Ayanna thought about it for a minute and shrugged before saying "I don't know…"

"You don't have to if you don't want to baby, no one will be mad," Sheva assured her, rubbing her back in a comforting way. She thought for a few seconds before shaking her head no and breaking down into tears.

Sheva quickly told Derek she didn't want to talk and hung up the phone before he could protest. Sheva wrapped her arms around Ayanna and brought her close, whispering comforting words into her ears as she sobbed.

Just then the doorbell rang and Sheva looked at her phone and saw that Chris had texted her that he was outside like he said he would. Sheva picked up Ayanna in her arms and carefully made her way down the stairs to answer the door.

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A/N: I'm really sorry that this was sad but it kinda just happened. The words just flew from me if that makes any sense. I hope you enjoyed! Don't forget to review!

~Sheva Redfield


	17. Chapter 17

"What happened?" Chris asked once he saw Sheva's angry face and Ayanna crying.

"I just had a small argument with Derek," Sheva answered then stepped out of the way to let Chris in.

"Oh, I'm guessing Ayanna heard something?" Chris questioned, closing the door once he stepped in. Sheva shook her head no and rocked her crying child in her arms. Chris put the bag he was carrying on the floor by the front door and reached out from Ayanna.

Ayanna sadly looked up at him, and wiped her tears, then moved over to where Chris took her from Sheva and gave her a hug. He gave her forehead a quick kiss then told her, "Everything is going to be okay, sweetheart…"

"Chris I'm really sorry that this happened right before you came," Sheva apologized, rubbing her temples.

"Sheva don't apologize, it's not your fault," Chris assured her, pulling her into a hug with Ayanna still in his arms. He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before releasing her then said, "I know that both of you are upset but I got something that will hopefully cheer you up a bit."

Chris passed Ayanna back over to Sheva then went to grab the bag that he had sat by the front door. He reached into the bag and pulled out a medium sized box that had 'S'mores' written in big brown and white letters across the front of the box.

Ayanna looked up and her face immediately lit up when she saw the treat, "s'mores!" She cheered, clapping her hands. Sheva shook her head with a chuckle and put Ayanna down so she could retrieve the box from him. Shev excitedly rand towards Chris and gave his leg a hug before taking the box from him and running around the coffee table in excitement. Chris and Sheva both laughed at her all the sudden care-free attitude.

"She loves s'mores, they're probably her favorite treat," Sheva told Chris who was slightly surprised by her change of attitude.

"I see that now," Chris chuckled then pulled Sheva into a real hug and gave her a kiss.

She smiled up at him after they separated and told him, "I needed that."

"Glad I could help," He responded, returning the smile. "So are we trying to make the s'mores now or wait until after the dance party?"'

"I think we should make them now so she will get tire herself out while she is dancing so it is easier to her to be later. If I give her s'mores right before bed she won't go to sleep and I will be cranky by the morning," Sheva explained.

Chris nodded in understanding and replied, "Sounds like a plan." He raised his hand for a high five and Sheva playfully rolled her eyes. She raised her hand to give him the high five but just as their hands were about to slap together, Sheva moved her hand to flip her hair leaving Chris hanging.

"I can' believe you just did that!" Chris told her when she burst out laughing at his expression. Chris stood there and pouted, expecting an apology.

"Aw is the poor baby upset that I didn't give him a high five?" Sheva asked pulling Chris into a hug. He didn't respond and poked his bottom lip out even more.

"Mommy I think you hurt Mr. Chris' feelings," Ayanna told her, taking a seat on the couch.

"Awwww," Sheva said and began to place kisses all over Chris' face causing him to laugh.

"I'll feel better if you give me a high five for real," Chris told Sheva, pulling out of her tight grasp.

"Fine you big pouty baby," Sheva joked then raised her hand. He give her the high five then he excitedly ran to pick Ayanna up off the couch and tossed her in the air making her squeal with excitement while he chanted, "I got a high five, I got a high five!"

Sheva laughed at his childish behavior then grabbed the box of s'mores off the coffee table where Ayanna left it and announced, "I'm going to start making the s'mores now. Come to the kitchen when you are ready."

"Let's go make s'mores Mr. Chris!" Ayanna said tapping on Chris' shoulder.

"Alright then, let's go make a mess," Chris said as he followed Sheva to the kitchen with Ayanna in his arms.

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Twenty minutes later they were all in the kitchen eating freshly made s'mores and telling jokes.

"I got another one!" Ayanna told them excitedly.

"Finish chewing and then you can tell it," Sheva told her as she put her s'more down on her plate. Ayanna nodded and quickly chewed the s'more that was in her mouth then swallowed it so she could speak.

"Okay, knock knock?"

"Who's there?" Chris asked.

"Nobody," Ayanna giggled.

Chris looked confused for a second then asked, "Nobody who?"

Ayanna just stood there and took another bite out of her S'more.

"Wow, I like that one," Chris laughed and Sheva joined in, giving Ayanna a high five.

The trio stayed in the kitchen for a few more minutes, finishing off the rest of the s'mores they made then Chris and Ayanna went to the living room to move the furniture and set up the game while Sheva cleaned up the kitchen.

As she was washing the last plate, he phone began to vibrate in her pocket. She rolled her eye, knowing that it was probably Derek and answered the phone without looking.

"What do you want?"

"Excuse me young lady! Who do you think you are talking to?" An angry female's voice came over the phone.

"I am so sorry mom, I didn't know it was you. I thought Derek was calling back…" Sheva apologized, knowing that her mother did not tolerate disrespect.

"Oh, well I understand then. I know it's kind of late but I was just calling to check on you guys. I know it's your first night in the new house," her mom said in a calmer manner.

Sheva and her mother had been texting back and forth since she came to America but this was the first time she had called her since she left and her timing couldn't have been worse. Sheva hadn't told her about Chris yet, the most she knew was that he was Claire's brother but she had no idea that they were in a relationship.

"Um, well we're fine! Everything is great, thanks for asking," Sheva told her, trying to hide her nervous tone.

"Uh huh. So why do you sound like you are rushing to get off the phone. Are you hiding something?" she asked. Sheva sometimes hated how close her and her mother was, she could read her like a book any day of the year no matter how far away they were.

"It's nothing mom, I'm just really tired and-," Ayanna rushed into the kitchen with the game in her hand.

"Mommy? Mr. Chris wants to know if he can unplug the cord to the radio," Ayanna told her, completely unaware of how she just made it 10x harder for Sheva to lie about the nervousness.

Sheva quickly nodded, not even thinking about what cord her was talking about and rushed Ayanna out of the kitchen. She looked confused by her mother's urgency but left without asking questions.

"Who is this 'Mr. Chris' guy?" her mother asked, her voice raising.

"He's just a friend mom…" Sheva lied.

"I don't believe you. I think that you have a boyfriend and you didn't want to tell me because you thought that I would be mad that you got a boyfriend and it hasn't even been a full week yet. Am I correct or not?"

"Mom I wanted to tell you but I just thought you would tell me not to be with him and I really like him. He's Claire's brother so I thought-,"

"Wait you mean you're dating Chris?" she asked, surprised.

"How do you know his name?" Sheva asked with shock in her voice.

"Well when Claire came to visit you when you were having Ayanna, she was talking to her brother and I think you were in the bathroom or something but Claire introduced me to him and we had a small conversation. I doubt he will remember if you ask him, he probably didn't know I was your mother. Claire just introduced me as her friend's mother so he probably has no idea. But with that aside, I don't mind if you date him, he sounds like a sweet guy from the conversation we had… always saying yes ma'am, no ma'am. He very polite," she told Sheva, leaving her in complete shock.

"Wow, I would have told you about him sooner if I would have known that…" Sheva admitted.

"Yeah I know, it is a really strange coincidence that you happened to be dating him. I am seriously so creeped out right now," she joked.

"Says you! I should go ask him if he remembers talking to you! It would be great if he did! Chris, can you come here for a minute?" Sheva called to Chris.

Chris jogged into the kitchen with Ayanna in his arms, "What's up?"

"So I'm on the phone with my mom and I just want to know if you remember talking to her, she says you guys have talked before," Sheva explained, putting the phone on speaker.

"Grandma!" Ayanna yelled, excited to hear her grandma.

"Hey buttercup? What up? Do you like the new house?" She asked, just as excited to hear her voice.

"I like it, it's really pretty and I have a playground and I made a new friend and we are gonna have a playdate!" Ayanna told her excitedly.

"Oh that nice! I'm happy you like the place! I can't wait to come visit you guys and see it!"

"When will you come?" Ayanna asked.

"I don't know yet but I want to see you guys sometime soon. I'll have to talk to your mommy about it another time. But right now I want to talk to Mr. Chris," she told Ayanna, causing Chris to turn red from nervousness.

"Chris it's ok, I told her about us and she doesn't hate you, she just wants to see if you remember her," Sheva told Chris, calming him down a bit.

"Oh alright…" Chris answered still a little tense.

"Hey Chris, how have you been?"

"I have been good, how about you?" Chris asked, taking the phone away from Sheva and pacing around in a nervous habit.

"Chris please don't feel nervous, I'm not interrogating you or anything. I just wanted to ask if you remember my name. Does Lani possibly ring a bell?"

"Oh now that I hear it, it does. Claire introduced you as her friend's mom Mrs. Lani. I can remember our conversation now," Chris told her, feeling more comfortable now that he could remember their conversation.

"Oh I was beginning to think I had the wrong Claire, Chris and daughter. Phew," Lani joked causing the trio to laugh.

"So what are you guys about to do?" she asked once the laughing died down.

"Well I was actually hooking up my Wii system so we could have a dance party," Chris explained, putting Ayanna down so she could run back to the living room.

"Oh well I'll let you guys have your little dance party, I will talk to you tomorrow Sheva. I Love you and tell Ayanna I love her too. Give her a kiss for me also!" Lani told Sheva.

"I will mom, love you too. See ya," Sheva responded.

"I talk to you sometime soon also Chris, take care of my girls for me."

Chris chuckled, "It's one of my goals in life now."

"Ugh you are just too sweet, I have to meet you in person one day!" Lani told him.

"One day," Chris said, then the call ended. He handed Sheva her phone back and pulled her into a hug before giving her a passionate kiss.

"What was that for?" Sheva asked once they separated from each other.

"I just wanted to give you a kiss," Chris told her then led her out to the living room where Ayanna was sitting on the couch, playing with a Wii remote. Sheva plopped down on the couch next to her and pulled her onto her lap, giving her a bunch of kisses and causing her to laugh.

"Those were from Grandma and she said she loves you," Sheva told her.

"I love her too! When will she come see us?" Ayanna asked.

"I don't know yet baby, we have to see. It will be sometime soon hopefully," Sheva said, smoothing down the hair on her head.

"Are you guys ready to be beaten by the dance master?" Chris asked, handing Sheva a Wii remote and starting the game that was now displayed on the large TV.

"Let's see how long your ego lasts," Sheva told him, taking her position and turning on her remote. Ayanna giggled at the two and took her spot in between them, turning her remote on as well.

"Let's do this!" Chris said pressing the start button.

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"I demand a recount!" Chris said for the 18th time that night. Sheva had beaten him 3 times in a row and he pouted about it each time.

"I told you, my hips don't lie," Sheva said. Twirling around in a perfect circle.

"Whatever, I used all my energy beating you on the first round," Chris grumbled. Ayanna giggled at the two taunting each other, finding it more entertaining than the game itself.

After Chris won the first round, Ayanna pouted about not winning so Chris and Sheva decided to let her win a few times so she would still have fun. After they let her win a few times, they began to compete for first place again because Ayanna was happy she won a few times.

The trio continued to dance until it was Ayanna's bedtime and she was getting moody.

"I'm going to go ahead and put her down, can you unhook the system and move the coffee table back please?" Sheva asked as she picked up her tired daughter.

"Sure thing," Chris said and began to unhook the system. Sheva sent a thankful smile his way then went up the stairs to get Ayanna situated in her bed.

Sheva tucked her in her bed and gave her a kiss then turned on her nightlight by her bed before asking, "Do you want me to read you a story?"

"Can Mr. Chris read me one?" Ayanna asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Of course sweetheart, what book do you want?" Sheva asked, happy that she wanted Chris to read to her.

"The one with the birdie!" Ayanna answered. Sheva nodded and grabbed the book off the bookshelf by her closet, knowing exactly what book she was talking about. She handed her the book and told her to wait while she went to get Chris.

Sheva went down the satires to find Chris sitting on the couch doing something on his phone. He looked up at her and smiled, "Is she in bed?" he asked.

"Yeah but she actually asked me if you could read her a story tonight and I was just wondering if you wanted to take the offer?"

Chris' face lit up and he got up from the couch, "Of course I'll read a book to her!"

Sheva chuckled at his excitement and told him to come upstairs with her. They made it up the stairs and walked into Ayanna's room.

"Yay!" She clapped once she saw Chris come in the room causing him to smile even bigger.

"Do you know what story you want me to read to you?" Chis asked as he sat on the floor by her small bed. Ayanna excitedly nodded and handed Chris the book.

"Good choice," Chris told her and opened the book to begin reading.

Sheva stood at the doorframe and watched as Ayanna would smile and giggle when Chris would try to imitate a female hen's voice. She kept falling in more in love with him every day they spent together, either just the two of them, or as their little family. Either way it made her heart fill with happiness and she never wanted it to stop.

By the 8th page, Ayanna had fallen asleep, holding tightly onto the Chris' arm that she had grabbed sometime while he was reading to her. Sheva watched as he moved the messy hair from her face and place a gentle kiss on her forehead. He whispered he that he loved her and he would see her soon before he gently detangled his arm from her sleepy grip. Chris placed the book back on the shelf then took one last glance at Ayanna before walking out of the room, letting Sheva closed the door.

The two quietly walked back down the stairs and sat down on the couch. They cuddled up with each other, Sheva resting her head on a pillow in Chris' lap while he ran a hand through her hair and sat there in silence, neither wanting to end the amazing night.

"Hey Shev, can I ask you something?" Chris asked, breaking the silence.

"Of course," Sheva answered, cuddling closer to him.

"Well, my parents are having a dinner tomorrow, I've told them about you and Ayanna and they were wondering if you guys wanted to come over and have dinner with us? You don't have to but they have been dying to meet you guys," Chris explained, nervousness evident in his voice.

Sheva was in awe. It made her so happy that he told his parents about her and Ayanna so much that they want to meet them. "We'd love to go, besides, I can't pass up free food!" Sheva said, making Chris laugh.

"I'm glad, you won't regret it. My parents are very nice and welcoming… and they might have a giant gift box for Ayanna already…" Chris added.

"She is going to be so spoiled by them, I can already tell…" Sheva chuckled then sighed.

The two continued to talk for a bit until Sheva began to dose off. She ended up falling asleep when Chris stopped talking and continued to massage her scalp. He quietly chuckled at her then decided to carry her up to her room.

Chris carried her to her room and gently placed her down on her bed. He placed a soft kiss on her lips causing her to wake up beautifully. She gave him a small sleepy smile then realized she was lying on her bed.

"Did you carry me up here?" Sheva asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"Yeah, you fell asleep so I thought I'd be nice and carry you up the stairs," Chris explained.

"Oh thank you. I didn't mean to fall asleep, I just got too comfortable on the couch," Sheva admitted, blushing a bit.

"It's alright, I have to go anyways. Spike needs to go out one last time and I need to get some sleep for tomorrow," Chris told her. He didn't want to leave but he didn't want to keep her up and then she would be tired tomorrow.

"Okay, I guess I'll let you go," Sheva joked, "I'll see you tomorrow, love you."

"I love you too, babe. See you tomorrow," Chris said then gave her one last kiss before leaving her room, shutting the door behind him. He quietly made his way downstairs and left, locking the front door behind him.

0000

A/N: I know I took forever to update but we just did finals in school so that occupied most of my time but I did get to type some in school! I hope you guys enjoyed and don't forget to review! I love reading them!

Oh and also I think I am going to start putting the dates at the beginning of the chapters just so we know what date it is in the chapters. Tell me what you think!

wolfspiritqueen: Yeah but everything will get better for her! I hope you enjoyed their little game night, sorry I couldn't add more detail about it. Have an amazing day!

NappaRules (Chapter 9): I am very sorry if that chapter offended you in any way or upset you. I was not trying to make it seem like Ayanna was always getting in trouble or she is always getting punished. I was just trying to make it seem real because younger kids do tend to have tantrums and they get in trouble for it by their parents. I hope that the chapters after that one have been better in that way and I will try to add less times where she get in trouble. Thank you for expressing how you feel about this in a mature way, I appreciate that a lot. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and have a wonderful day!

steveoblank (Chapter 3 &5): Yeah I was trying to add a little twist on the story but I am glad you are warming up to the idea and I am happy you like my writing!

(Chapter 16): I am not going to add any sex in this story because it is rated T and I am not comfortable writing about that stuff, especially for my age. I do appreciate you expressing your opinion and sharing your ideas though. Have a great day and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

~Sheva Redfield


	18. Chapter 18

Friday, June 28

Sheva woke up the next morning to a small foot in her back. She groaned as she sat up and gently removed the foot from off her spine.

Ayanna had ran into Sheva's room sometime in last night in tears, saying she had a nightmare. At first Sheva thought Ayanna was trying to sleep with her again because she didn't want to sleep in her own room by herself but when Sheva tried to lay her back down in her bed, Ayanna was shaking like crazy so she knew it was real.

Sheva got up from the bed and made her side up then debated if she was going to take Ayanna downstairs with her or put her back in her own bed. Sheva quickly decided to put her back in her bed so she would get used to sleeping in it by herself and besides, it was light outside and her nightlight was still on.

She gently scooped Ayanna up carried her down the hallway and to her room before placing her back in her bed and tucking her in. Sheva looked at the princess clock above Ayanna's bed and it was about 11. She would be waking up in about 30 minutes so when Sheva left, she left the door open a crack and turned on the light leading downstairs so Ayanna would know that she was down there when she woke up.

Sheva made her way down the stairs and to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee for herself and to prepare breakfast for Ayanna. While her coffee was brewing she quickly whipped together some pancake mix and got some scrambled eggs and bacon going on the stove.

She was quickly flying around the kitchen quickly cooking more than one thing at once, a great skill of hers. Sheva learned to cook at a young age and it became one of her favorite things to do, it still was today. She was excited for Ayanna to get older so she could teach her how to cook like she did.

Just as Sheva finished making the plates for her and Ayanna, she heard little feet making their way down the stairs. Moments later Ayanna appeared in the kitchen, clutching her stuffed rabbit tight with fresh tears streaming down her face. Sheva immediately stopped what she was doing and crouched down to her crying daughter.

"What's the matter baby?" Sheva asked softly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Ayanna continued to cry as she handed Sheva the stuffed animal in her tiny hands. Sheva gently took the stuffed animal from Ayanna and looked it over, finally figuring out why Ayanna was crying.

One of the black button eyes on the rabbit was loose and close to falling off. This had happened to many of her stuffed animals but Sheva completely understood why this one got Ayanna upset.

When Ayanna was one and she and Derek were still together, they went to a small fun land for children to celebrate Ayanna's first year of life. He'd won her this rabbit and it became her favorite toy. Yeah she loved her other toy but this one was really special to her. Not only was it her first stuffed rabbit, it was her last memory of when they were all together as a family that she could physically hold.

"Oh baby…," she sighed, "mommy will fix him right away ok? Mr. Sniffles will be up and going before you go to sleep tonight," Sheva told her, pulling her crying child into a long, affectionate hug full of understanding. Ayanna nodded sadly into her mother's shoulder and held onto her tighter.

"I don't want to lose him mommy," she cried.

"I know baby, I know. Everything will be ok. How about we sit down for breakfast and make Mr. Sniffles a card before I fix him so he will see it and be happy?" Sheva offered, hoping that it would make Ayanna feel a bit better. She couldn't blame her if it didn't though, she knew how it felt to almost lose something that holds a very important meaning.

Sheva knew because she still had a box of things that she felt kept her connected to her father. It ranged from letter and small crafts they did to the two thousand dollar necklace that he had bought her for her birthday they spent together, the one she promised not to lose. She never wore it in fear of it breaking but she would never forget about it.

"Okay…" Ayanna sadly responded, breaking Sheva's train of thought. Sheva nodded and grabbed her and Ayanna's plates then walked to the dining room where she sat them down. She got Ayanna situated before she ran upstairs with the small stuffed animal and placed it on her bed before grabbing some things so they could make his card. She ran back downstairs and sat with Ayanna, helping her decorate and color the piece of construction paper. Sheva folded the paper in half to make the card Ayanna wrote down 'Get better soon Mr. Sniffles' on the front in green crayon and decorated it with quick drawings of carrots and on this inside she wrote in sloppy handwriting, 'i hope you feell better Mr. Sniffles. Mommy is going to fix your eye and everything is going to be ok! Don't be scared, mommy is a profeshinal and fixing peopul and toys! I luv you! Youre Bestest Friend, Ayanna.'

Sheva found her spelling errors adorable and decided not to say anything about them, seeing that she was so proud of her work with the card, correcting her would only make her feel bad again.

Once they were done with that they finished eating and Sheva washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen while Ayanna waited in the bathroom for help brushing her teeth. Sheva quickly finished the dishes and helped Ayanna brush her teeth then brushed her own.

After that, Sheva let Ayanna give her card to Mr. Sniffles and give him a kiss before she sent her downstairs to watch TV while she fixed him up.

Sheva got her sewing bag out and quickly began working on the stuffed animal's eye. After a few minutes of working on him, her phone began to ring. She quickly answered it, not focusing on who it was.

"Yello?" She answered.

"Red...?" Chris answered but it sounded more like a question.

"Hey you, what's up?" Sheva asked after chuckling at his silly response.

"Nothing much, I'm bored to death at work… hopefully they will let me off early. There is seriously nothing to do since the gym is closed and the recruits are taking some of their final tests," Chris sighed, "what about you?"

"Well I am actually doing a surgery right now…" Sheva began then paused as she went to tie a small knot in the thread.

"Oh… well, that's nice…" Chris said out of confusion.

"It's on Ayanna's favorite childhood toy. It's eye almost popped out ad she came down the stairs crying about it before she even gave me a hug so I know it's really worrying her."

"Oh, well how is it going so far?"

"It's going great, all I have to do is loop around one more time then tie a knot and it should be good. I might even sew him some little outfits out of some fabric I have. I know that will make Ayanna really happy. I'll even make him a carrot and a little bed with a blanket and a pillow."

"It sounds like you are having more fun than you are working," Chris observed.

"It's just to make Ayanna feel better. She loves this stuffed animals more than all of her toys combined," Sheva explained.

"Even more than the toy I got her?" Chris asked jokingly, already knowing the answer.

Sheva paused, "when did you get her a toy?"

"The night of our date, it was in the bag for her I gave you."

"Oh! I forgot to give it to her, its sitting in her room somewhere so I'll just give it to her when we are getting ready to go," Sheva began, "and what time will you be here to pick us up to go to your parents' house?"

"About 4 so you have time to talk to them before we eat."

"Oh ok, that sounds great," Sheva told him, still focused on fixing the toy.

Chris tried to make small talk a few times before he chuckled and decided to end their conversation because Sheva wasn't talking and was only giving yes or no responses.

"Hey Shev, I'm going to go ahead and go so you can fix Ayanna's toy," he told her kindly.

"Chris I'm so sorry I wasn't talking, I just really don't want to mess up…" Sheva told him, worried that he was getting annoyed by her lack of conversation.

"It's fine Shev, I understand. I'll text you when I'm on my way over there."

"Are you mad at me Chris?" Sheva asked quietly.

"No, not at all. I might just sound mad because I'm bored to death and I can't leave work until 3:30…" Chris told her truthfully with a sigh as he rested his chin on his hand.

"Ok… I was just wondering…" Sheva said, still worried that he was a little upset she wasn't talking to him.

"Shev, I promise you I'm not mad, if I were you would know. And besides it's not my place to be mad that you are doing something for your daughter. I know she is your first priority," Chris told her, trying to get her to believe him.

"I know Chris but you are my second priority and I don't want you to feel left out," Sheva told him sadly.

"I want to be your 3rd priority because I want you to worry about yourself before me alright?"

"Could I ask you to do the same?" Sheva asked, knowing the answer.

"Well it's different for me. You two are my girls and I will always put you all first. So no I can't really do the same," Chris told her honestly.

"Well thanks for being honest, but I can't promise that I will always be my second priority… you'll slip in there sometimes… most of the time."

Chris sighed at her response but nonetheless responded, "I love you, Sheva Alomar."

Sheva chuckled at this and replied, "I love you too Christopher Redfield."

"Did you really have to say my full name?"

"Yes, yes I did. By the end of the day, hopefully I find out your middle name. I'll be sure to ask your mom…" Sheva told him, taking a mental note.

"So what you are telling me is that I need to call my mom and tell her not to tell you anything?"

"That is the complete opposite," Sheva giggled.

"I'm pretty sure I'm right…" Chris chuckled.

"Whatever…" Sheva laughed.

Chris sighed once more and leaned back in his chair happy she didn't think he was mad at her anymore. It honestly mad his day to hear her giggle and laugh with the occasional snort that she hated but he found adorable.

Just as Chris was about to bring up another topic of conversation, the door to his office flew open and one of the recruit walked in and a pink slip.

"Hold on a second, Shev," Chris said then put the phone down on his desk.

The recruit waited until Chris beckoned him forward to walk to his desk and hand him the pink slip. Chris read the slip carefully then a frown found its way onto his face.

"Cheating on a test?" Chris asked seriously. The recruit nodded lazily, obviously not caring about the situation. He crossed his arms and stood in a slouched position not worrying about how Chris felt about it even though he knew that he did not deal with disrespect.

"Stand up straight, use your words, and look me in the eye when I am talking to you!" Chris suddenly yelled causing the young recruit to follow his directions immediately.

"Sir, yes sir!" he responded.

Over the line Sheva could hear more yelling coming from Chris and more fearful responses coming from the scared young recruit. After a few minutes of this, the door to Chris' office could be heard opening and closing, signaling that the recruit had left.

"I'm really sorry about that Sheva. He was one of the recruits I had the most problems with during training," Chris apologized, wishing that he would have gotten off the phone so Sheva didn't have to hear that.

"I can understand that but did you have to yell at him like that? You were a little harsh about it."

"That's how they learn Sheva, you heard how quickly he corrected his attitude when I raised my voice," Chris explained.

"Let me ask you this, do you know why he has so many problems? Have you ever asked him if he wanted to talk about it? He could be having problems at home for all we know and you yelling at him might just make him feel worse," Sheva told him calmly.

Chris sat in silence for a moment as he thought about what she said. No he never asked him anything like that and he surely didn't know if he had problems at home. Chris felt terrible for how hard he's been on all the recruits lately.

"You still there?" Sheva asked, snapping him from his thoughts.

"Oh yeah, I'm here. Just thinking about how terrible of a captain I must be for being strictly business and not even considering anything you said. I feel awful…" Chris admitted.

"All you have to do is apologize to him and show him that you are not only his captain but you are also like a big brother that he could talk to about anything inside or outside of work. You need to try and establish a 'big sibling' relationship with all of the recruits you worked with. Show them you care about them as people and not fighting machines," Sheva told him sincerely.

"You're right… I'll talk to them after their testing for the day is finished. Actually, I'm gonna see if I can catch up with the recruit that just left and see if I can talk to him."

"You go ahead and do that, I'm gonna call Ayanna in here and let her see the fixed up Mr. Sniffles, she's been waiting for a while now. I love you and I'll see you in a bit," Sheva said.

"Alright, love you too. See you." Then they disconnected.

0000

Sheva looked at her phone and smiled. She was proud that she could help Chris possibly get a better relationship with his group. She just hoped that everything would go well with the conversation.

Sheva got off her bed and checked Mr. Sniffles over one more time before going to her closed door and opening it then yelling, "Ayanna, Mr. Sniffles is all fixed up and he want to see you!"

Just as fast as the words came out of her mouth, Ayanna was running up the stairs and rushing down the hall to Sheva's room where Mr. Sniffles lay under the blanket that Sheva quickly put together.

"Mr. Sniffles!" Ayanna yelled as she climbed on the bed to get a better look at the toy. His eyes was put back into place, looking good as new and he also had a little hospital gown on him, he even got new stuffing so he appeared to look more new.

"Mommy he looks so happy and new! Thank you!" Ayanna thanked her mother as she threw herself at her in a thankful and loving embrace. Sheva chuckled at her daughter's excitement and gave her a kiss while returning her embrace.

"You're welcome honey! I also made you some new clothes for him and some carrots he can snack on." Sheva said as she grabbed the tiny outfits and carrots to give to Ayanna. She squealed in excitement once she saw the tiny clothes and food.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" Ayanna repeated as she grabbed her mother again and gave her multiple kisses on her face causing Sheva to giggle.

"You're welcome, anything for my baby girl," Sheva told her. Ayanna's smile grew wider as she held the fixed stuffed animal in her hands and hugged it close to her.

"There are still a few more things I have to do but I will need help from my little nurse. Are you up for it?" Sheva asked, already know Ayanna's answer.

"Yeah!"

"Ok, go grab your doctor's kit and coat while I get mine. We need to give Mr. Sniffles one more checkup before he can go back in your room for a nap."

Ayanna excitedly ran out to get the requested items while Sheva looked in her closet to find her white coat and head mirror that she got when she got Ayanna's nursing things and easily slipped it on over her T- shirt then slipped her head mirror on too.

Ayanna came running back in with the same outfit but a smaller version on and with her medical kit.

The two played doctor for a while, giving Mr. Sniffles a checkup and making sure he was 'healthy' enough to go back to Ayanna's room. Sheva loved playing these game with Ayanna because they weren't only fun but they also help her learn what doctors used and what they were called. At her last appointment the nurse had so much fun hearing Ayanna explain what each instrument was, she even got two prizes instead of one for her knowledge in medical instruments.

"Mommy you look kinda red. I think me and Mr. Sniffles should give you a checkup too!" Ayanna said.

Sheva agreed, and let Mr. Sniffles and Ayanna give her a checkup. Sheva would ask every now and then what each instrument was called and what it did or if it would hurt and Ayanna would answer her questions professionally and correctly which made Sheva so proud.

"I have got a diagnosis!" Ayanna stated proudly, knowing that diagnosis was a big word for someone her age.

"Give it to me straight doc, I can take it!" Sheva told her dramatically causing her to giggle for a second then go back to her serious tone.

"You have mommyositis!"

"What is mommyositis?" Sheva asked confused.

"It's what good mommy's get when they are exploding with too much love for their babies like me," Ayanna answered cutely making Sheva just want to hug her and keep her this young forever.

"I knew it! How do we fix it doc?"

Ayanna put Mr. Sniffles up to her ear and listened. "Mr. Sniffles said they have a needle for it but it will be quick, I promise. You can hold my hand if you want?"

"Thank you. And you promise it will be quick?" Sheva asked, grabbing Ayanna's hand.

"I promise! Now close your eyes and be still please." Ayanna requested and Sheva complied. Ayanna stuck the toy needle in her arm even though it didn't go anywhere because it was one with the big circle on the end then pulled it out with a satisfied smile. She then put a real band aid on her arm and patted it softly.

"Do you feel better mommy?" Ayanna asked as she put the toy away. She screamed then giggled when Sheva quickly picked her up and got off the bed, and began tossing her in the air.

"I do, but I have so much love to give!" Sheva told her and began giving her a bunch of kisses causing her to laugh harder.

"You're silly mommy!" she managed to giggle out.

"You bring out the silly in me!" Sheva responded. They both calmed down to small giggles every now and then, then Sheva sat down on the bed with Ayanna in her lap.

"I love you, Ayanna. Promise me you'll always be my baby girl ok?" Sheva asked out of nowhere.

Ayanna didn't think too much of it and kissed her cheek before responding, "I promise mommy, I'll always be you baby girl forever and ever. I love you too."

Sheva felt tears coming to her eyes and tried to hold them back so Ayanna wouldn't see but she could obviously tell she was sad.

"Don't be sad mommy, I'm not going anywhere," Ayanna told her and she snuggled up with her. This interaction made it harder for Sheva to hold back her tears. Hearing it from her made her happy but she knew that it wouldn't last long. She was still young and was probably confused by Sheva's worry but she would understand when she was older.

"Thank you baby," Sheva thanked her then sighed as she looked at the clock on the wall. It was already 2:30. Time flies by when you're playing with an energetic toddler like Ayanna. "Let's get you ready so we can me Chris' mommy and daddy. Are you excited?" Sheva asked, trying to change the sad atmosphere.

"Yeah! Can I wear my pink dress and my flower shoes?" Ayanna asked excitedly as she got off the bed and began to drag her mother to her room.

Sheva chuckled, "of course baby, how do you want your hair?"

"I want piggy tails! Oooh can I wear my necklace and bracelet too?" Ayanna asked once they got to her room.

"Yes baby, you sure can."

Sheva pulled out the clothes she wanted and helped her get dressed then quickly put pigtails in her hair before she went to her own room and picked out what she wanted to wear. She decided on a simple yellow sundress the complimented her skin tone with white sandals and some simple but beautiful accessories. She put on some natural make up and decided to wet her hair to let her natural waves come out. By the time both her and Ayanna were done getting ready, it was 3: 40.

Just as she finished looking over herself once more, her phone went off with a text message saying he was at the door. Sheva quickly went down stairs to unlock the door to let him in.

She opened the door to reveal Chris with some yellow flowers in his left hand, and get better soon balloons in his right hand. He greeted her with a charming smile as he handed her the bouquet of bright flowers.

"Thank you Chris, they're lovely." Sheva responded and leaned in to give him a quick kiss. She stepped aside to let him in.

"I see I chose the right color of flowers for today," Chris observed, looking at her outfit. "You look beautiful."

Sheva blushed, still trying to get used to being called beautiful every day, "thank you. You look handsome as always."

He wore a green polo shirt and some dark denim jeans with white tennis shoes. Simple but attractive. Sheva closed the door behind him and added the yellow flowers in the pot where she put the roses he got her.

"Thank you," Chris thanked her then asked, "Where is my little princess?"

"She's upstairs in her room playing with Mr. Sniffles. You can go up there and get her if you like, I need to pack my purse up real quick," Sheva told him then grabbed her purse to place her phone in it then went to find the other things she needed.

Chris made his way up the stairs and walked into Ayanna's room where she was playing after knocking on the opened door.

"Mr. Chris!" Ayanna yelled once she saw him.

"Hey princess!" Chris greeted her and bent down to give her a hug and kiss on the cheek. "I got these for Mr. Sniffles," Chris told her then handed the balloons to her. She thanked him with a kiss on the cheek then laid Mr. Sniffles on the bed, under the blanket Sheva made him and got Chris to tie the balloon strings around the head board so he could see them while he napped.

On their way out of the room, Ayanna grabbed the bag of gifts Chris got her that she never opened and told him that she would open it at his parents' house. Then she grabbed his hand and they made their way down the stairs to find Sheva patiently waiting on the couch.

Ayanna immediately noticed the flowers and ran to pick one out of the bunch, luckily they didn't have thorns. She turned to Sheva and said, "Mommy, you should put this in your hair, it would look pretty with your outfit!"

Not wanting to say no to her, Sheva took the flower and tucked the stem behind her ear so the petals were beautifully displayed.

"It looks really nice actually," Chris told her after watching her adjust the flower multiple times.

"Thanks, now let's get going because I am so ready to eat!" Sheva said, standing up from the couch and grabbing her now stocked purse.

Chris nodded and picked Ayanna and her bag up so he could carry her from the car. They exited the house and Sheva locked it, then she quickly made her way into the garage to get Ayanna's car seat out of her car and to take it over to Chris'. Then she ran back in the house for a minute, stating she forgot something.

Chris chuckled at her then opened the door to the back seat and Spike immediately sat up in the seat when he saw Ayanna.

"Spike!" Ayanna yelled, just as excited to see him. She hopped in the truck and pulled Spike into a hug and kissed his snout. She received a lick right up the side of her face that made her giggle.

"Alright Ayanna, come and get in your car seat," Chris told her once he got done setting it up.

"I wanna sit with Spike right here," Ayanna whined quietly as she grabbed then seatbelt to put around herself. When Chris didn't respond, Ayanna looked over at him to see a look on his face that was a warning. She pouted and moodily scooted over to slam herself down in the seat with lots of attitude.

"You know I could just take Spike home and you won't get to see him today. Is that want you want?" Chris asked seriously.

"No…" Ayanna grumbled quietly.

"Speak up," Chris told her.

"No!" Ayanna answered in a whiny and upset tone.

"Then drop the attitude." Chris told her sternly as he finished buckling her up. Once he closed the door and as he was making his way over to the driver's seat, he could hear Ayanna let out a loud wail for inside the car.

He sighed, he didn't want to make her cry, especially when Sheva wasn't here to witness what happened AND right before they got to his parents' house.

Right as Chris was about to open his door and get in, Sheva came running back out of the house with two jackets, one for her and one for Ayanna.

"Just in case it gets cold," she told him once she was close enough. Chris nodded and walked back over to her side so he could open the door for her. She thanked him the got in the car. He close the door and made his way around to the driver's seat once again.

While he was doing that, Sheva put her seatbelt on and reached behind her to hand Ayanna her jacket. When she didn't grab it, she looked back and realized Ayanna was crying.

"What's the matter?" Sheva asked for the second time today. Ayanna tried to respond but all that came out was blubbering.

Chris opened the door and got himself situated before he realized Sheva was staring at him.

"What?" Chris asked.

"Why is she crying?" Sheva asked, slightly annoyed. She felt like every day Ayanna would cry about something and it was getting kind of annoying.

"Because she wanted to sit with Spike but she needed to be in her car seat then she got an attitude about it-," Chris was cut off by Ayanna yelling her rebuttal but he tried talking over her which made Spike start to howl just making the car loud.

"EVERYBODY STOP YELLING!" Sheva yelled louder than the three of them combined. The car went silent, everybody shocked by her yelling.

"I don't even want to hear what happened but you," Sheva said pointing at Chris, "Need to be more sensitive when it comes to her because she is 4 and very sensitive. You can correct her when she is wrong but be calm about it!"

"I wasn-," Chris began but was cut off by Sheva raising her voice.

"I said I don't want hear it! And you," she pointed to Ayanna who was wiping her tears, "you need to do what you are told when you are told with no attitude involved. He is older than you and you know he is just trying to help you, he wouldn't tell you anything to harm you in any way."

"But Momm-,"

"What did I just tell Mr. Chris when he tried to say something?!" She asked, her eyes filled with anger. Ayanna slouched down in her car seat and kept quiet.

"And you," she pointed to Spike, "you just don't howl when everything is loud. And keep being adorable," Sheva said, petting the dog.

"Now, I don't want to hear anything from the both of you about what happened because it's done now. I love you both too much for you guys to be like this and I am very irritable right now because I'm hungry so don't even try to make any comment about anything. Now tell each other you love each other," Sheva demanded.

Chris and Ayanna both looked at each other and quickly said their 'I love you' to one another.

"Thank you, now can we go," Sheva told Chris with a calm smile that scared him more than it made him feel better. He slowly nodded and turned the engine in and began to back out.

"So Chris, how did the talk at work go?" Sheva asked, acting like she didn't just backhand him with words.

Chris honestly barely understood what just happened but all he knew was that he was more attracted to her than ever. With a mischievous smirk, he began to answer her question.

"Well I called them all into my office…"

0000

A/N: I don't know if it was just me or was that last part really funny to imagine? I laughed while writing it… Anyways, a late Merry Christmas to you all and an early Happy New Year! Jeez I really need to get myself together. Minus this part, this chapter was over 5,100 words! Woah! Continuing… in the next chapter we finally meet Chris' parents! Yay! But that's all for now, I hope you enjoyed and don't forget to tell me what you think!

Claire Redfield: I'm not sure if I am going to put her in the next chapter or not but we will see! Thanks for reviewing and have a great day!

wolverine23: Thank you, have a great day!

~Sheva Redfield


	19. Chapter 19

Friday, June 28

"… and we basically sat down and talked about anything and everything they wanted. I told them that they could always come to me about a problem or even an achievement and I'll always be here for them and they loved that. And on my way out of work the one soldier I was telling you about over the phone came over and told me what he was going through and why he cheated. He told me he watches over his little sister because their parents passed when he was younger so he had no time to study. I felt terrible because I had no idea so I'm going to let him have a second chance on the test on Monday so he has time to study," Chris finished, shrugging his shoulders.

Sheva placed her hand on top of his on the gear stick and smiled, "see how much easier life can be when there is communication?"

Chris rolled his eyes and chuckled at her, "yeah, Shev. Thanks for the advice."

"You're welcome!" Sheva said as she cutely tilted her head to the side with a confident smile. They came to a red light and Chris quickly took this opportunity to give Sheva a quick kiss.

"Love you," he told her.

"Love you too, BooBear!" Sheva said with a giggle.

"Ugh, please don't call me that in front of my parents, they'll never let me live that down."

Sheva quietly laughed at his response then looked down at their hands, quickly noticing Chris was wearing the watch she got him causing a small smile to come to her face. She was really worried that she had gotten him the wrong watch but she was grateful she made the right decision.

She turned to look in the seat behind her to see Ayanna peacefully sleeping in her car seat. After her crying had calmed down, she fell right to sleep which Sheva was grateful for because she missed her nap earlier so at least she would get some sleep now. She looked over and saw Spike lying across the two seats sleeping as well.

"Those two are going to be inseparable by the end of the day," Chris commented when he noticed Sheva looking at the two.

"Yeah, I swear they bonded quicker than two atoms," Sheva said, attempting to make a joke about science.

"You… are the biggest nerd ever."

"No I am not, it's just common sense!" Sheva argued playfully.

"Oh and I guess me knowing the whole periodic table would be common sense too? Because I totally need that to pay my taxes…" Chris tested.

Chris quickly regretted saying those words because within a few seconds, he could feel Sheva's gaze burning a hole right into the side of his head.

"Jeez, you really are irritable when you're hungry huh?"

"Yeah," Sheva answered with no emotion.

Chris chuckled at her then responded, "Well we are about two minutes away so you will be able to eat. Oh and you should probably wake Ayanna up so she's fully awake before we get there."

Sheva nodded and removed her hand from Chris' to reach behind her and lightly shook Ayanna's knee.

"Hey baby, it's time to get up. We are almost at Mr. Chris' mommy and daddy's house," Sheva said as she patted Ayanna's leg. She let out a little tired groan and quickly went back to sleep. Sheva sighed and turned to look behind her and shook her leg a bit more.

"Come on Ayanna, wake up," Sheva said a bit louder. Ayanna jolted awake and looked around at her surroundings before letting out a tiny yawn. "We are almost there baby. Are you ready to meet Mr. Chris' mommy and daddy?" Sheva asked enthusiastically.

At hearing this, Ayanna happily nodded and tried to ease herself out of her seat to look out the window.

"Sit down please," Sheva asked nicely, hoping Chris wouldn't have to yell again. As if Ayanna shared thoughts with Sheva, she sat down immediately with a small "yes mommy."

Sheva thanked her for cooperating and turned back around in her seat to gather her things. She pulled out a small mirror from her purse and looked herself over in a nervous habit.

"Shev, you look beautiful. Don't worry too much ok? My parents are really relaxed," Chris assured her, "and besides, my mom has already seen you without makeup and thought you look gorgeous so there is nothing to worry about."

Sheva's eyes widened as she looked at Chris with disbelief.

"Are you serious? How did she see me like that?" Sheva asked, ready to curl up into a ball and hide her face.

"I took some screenshots while we were video chatting…" Chris admitted quietly, afraid she would go off on him.

"Ayanna sweetheart, be ready to use your medical equipment on Mr. Chris because mommy is going to hurt him."

"Oooh, you're in trouble," Ayanna teased Chris who was sinking down in his seat.

"Oh hey guys! We are here! Wow that was fast, let's get out the car and say hi now," Chris said as he quickly pulled into the driveway of his childhood home.

It was your typical American family home, the big two story house with the white picket fence and the perfect garden out front with a rope swing hanging from a tree.

Sheva's hostility towards Chris quickly faded as she opened her car door slowly, afraid to step onto the pavement. By the time she worked up the courage to place both her feet on the ground, Chris already had Ayanna in his arms and Spike on a leash.

"Come on Shev, just take deep breaths. You have nothing to worry about," Chris reassured her as he switched Ayanna to his right arm and offered Sheva his hand.

Sheva took his hand with a nervous sigh and fully exited the vehicle. She quickly closed the door and smoothed down her dress before walking hand in hand up to the front door of the house.

Chris nodded his head to the doorbell and watched as Sheva's shaky hand reached up and pressed the button. You could hear the doorbell from outside with was followed by some yelling then the sound of feet running towards the door.

Seconds later, the front door swung open to reveal an older woman with soft brown eyes and red hair that was fading to grey at the roots. She was about four inches taller than Sheva and her skin was a bit lighter than Chris'. Actually the only noticeable difference between her and Chris was hair color, skin color, and height. The rest of her features showed that Chris definitely took after her looks.

Her eyes beamed with excitement and a warm and welcoming smile was present on her face.

"Oh it's so great to finally meet you Sheva! You are just as beautiful as Chris said you would be!" She told Sheva with happiness evident in her voice. She opened her arms for a hug and Sheva happily gave it to her, her nerves calming down for a minute.

"Thank you Mrs. Redfield. You are also very beautiful, I can really tell where Chris gets his looks from," Sheva told her, red staining her cheeks.

"Aw thank you dear! And just wait until you meet his father, Chris is the younger clone of him I swear!" She joked causing Sheva to giggle. After she released Sheva, she looked right over Chris to Ayanna who she awed at.

"This is little Ayanna? She is too precious! Hi baby!" Mrs. Redfield greeted Ayanna.

"Hi Mr. Chris' mommy!" Ayanna greeted cutely, waving her small hand excitedly. Mrs. Redfield squealed at her cuteness and looked to Sheva.

"Can I hold her? I just want to give her a big hug!" She asked. Sheva chuckled and nodded for her to go ahead.

She reached out for her and Ayanna almost jumped into her arms.

"Ah, she is just too cute, Sheva!" Mrs. Redfield said as she held her close and rocked her causing Ayanna to quickly relax and close her eyes.

"Aw, she's a tired little one isn't she?"

"Yeah, she went to sleep in the car but I had to wake her up so she's probably just going to eat and fall right back to sleep," Sheva informed her.

"Oh that's no problem! I'm just so happy I got to meet her. She is the most adorable little girl I have ever seen! But I'm not surprised when she has the genes from your gorgeous self!" Mrs. Redfield told her as she pulled Ayanna closer.

"Thank you, Mrs. Redfield," Sheva thanked her, the heat coming back to her cheeks.

Spike grew tired of standing in the sun and trotted his way in the house as far as the leash would allow.

"Well hello to you too, Spike." Mrs. Redfield greeted Spike with a quick scratch behind the ear.

"You know I'm here too, mom," Chris said crossing his arms.

"Oh Chris, are you really acting jealous of a little baby and a dog right now?" Mrs. Redfield teased Chris.

"No, I just thought you forgot I was here for a minute. Where is dad anyway?"

"He's in the back. Oh do you guys want to come in? Sorry, I was just so excited to see you guys that I forgot we were still outside. Silly me!"

She stepped aside to let Chris and Sheva in then closed the door, locking it behind them.

"Wow this is a lovely place Mrs. Redfield," Sheva complimented as they made their way to the living room.

"Oh thank you dearie!" She thanked her. They reached the large living room and Chris and Sheva sat down on the brown sofa while Mrs. Redfield sat the now fully awake Ayanna down on the loveseat across from them. Spike found a spot on the floor next to the loveseat and sat there, knowing he wasn't allowed on the couch.

"I'll be right back, I'm gonna go get Mr. Redfield," she excused herself and made her way to the backdoor.

"See, you had nothing to worry about. My parents are really calm and welcoming people," Chris told Sheva as he pulled her close with an arm around her waist.

"Yeah, you were right," Sheva admitted with a playful sigh.

She motioned for Ayanna to come over to her. Ayanna got up from the couch and walked over to the two where she stood in front of her mother and tiredly rubbed her eyes.

Sheva pulled her over to where she was snuggled between her and Chris then kissed her forehead. "Do you need a nap baby?"

Ayanna quickly shook her head no, denying the fact she was tired.

"Yes you do," Sheva said and chuckled when Ayanna began pouting. "It's alright sweetheart, you don't need to pout. Just tell me if you get sleepy, ok?" Ayanna sat there and thought about it for a few seconds before nodding her head. Chris chuckled at her and tapped her nose causing her to giggle.

"What was that for?" Ayanna asked through giggles. Chris shrugged his shoulders and smiled at her. She sat up and poked his nose right on the tip. He pretended to snap at her which caused her to let out delighted shriek. This sounded more like a terrified shriek to Spike and he got up from his position and somehow hopped on the couch to keep an eye on Chris.

He quickly gave up his close watch when Sheva began to rub his belly and scratch behind his ears. He relaxed at her touch but still kept an eye on Chris.

Just as they were all getting comfortable and forgetting where they were, Mrs. Redfield called them out to the back.

Chris picked up Ayanna then led Sheva and Spike to the back to meet his father. He slid open the door to the patio and let Sheva walked through first before going out and closing the door behind him.

The patio was nice and comfy it had two couches and a glass table to the left and to the right was a small dining area and a grill where Mrs. Redfield was standing. Chris' father was sitting was sitting in one of the chairs at the table.

Mrs. Redfield tapped his shoulder and he looked up from the newspaper to look at her.

"Well what are you waiting for? Go say hi to hopefully your future daughter in law and grandbaby!" Mrs. Redfield told him impatiently. Sheva blushed at how she referred to her and Ayanna and looked over to Chris to see how he felt about it. He was beet red and stood as stiff as a board from embarrassment.

"Mom we talked about this," Chris grumbled.

"About what?" Sheva asked curiously.

"Chris told me not to embarrass him or talk about marriage with you because you just got out of a relationship and he didn't want to rush things with you but I still speak my mind when I want. You should have known that Christopher Bruce Redfield Junior!" Mrs. Redfield said, completely ignoring the betrayed look on Chris' face.

"Woah, your middle name is Bruce and you're a junior? Why didn't you tell me?" Sheva asked as she lightly punched Chris' arm.

Chis just shrugged and looked anywhere but at her or his mother.

Sheva rolled her eyes at his attitude and for his ego, changed the subject. She walked up to Chris' father who looked exactly like him like his mom said, and greeted him.

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Mr. Redfield."

"It's so nice to meet you too Ms. Alomar!" He greeted her with just as much warmth as his wife did and pulled her into a hug. The hug ended and he went to Chris to greet Ayanna.

"Hello little miss! Do you know who I am?" He asked politely.

"You're Mr. Chris' daddy!" Ayanna told him excitedly and quickly pulled him into a hug that surprised him but he laughed and hugged her back, eventually taking her into his own arms. Ayanna curiously began to pull and play with his grey beard causing him to laugh even more.

"She's just a little outgoing one isn't she?" He asked Sheva.

"I don't even know anymore," Sheva chuckled, "She's either really shy or really outgoing. There is no in between…"

"Can I make your beard pretty?" Ayanna asked. Sheva gasped and called out her name, not expecting her to be so bold. While Sheva was trying to think of an apology, the Redfield's all laughed at Ayanna's care free attitude.

"I would love that," Mr. Redfield told her as he sat back down in his chair and sat Ayanna on the table in front of him so she could still play with his beard. She began raking her tiny fingers through the thin hairs, untangling them then patting them down.

"Be careful Ayanna, bugs might crawl out if you're not careful," Chris warned and laughed when Ayanna immediately pulled her hands away from the now seemingly scary beard with a small whine.

"Aw don't be scared sweetheart, he was kidding. You don't have to be afraid of his beard," Mrs. Redfield told Ayanna to calm her down. "Mr. Chris was just being mean!"

Ayanna slowly shook off the thought of bugs crawling out of his beard and continued to groom it.

"Hey can you boys watch the food while I show Sheva something, we'll be real quick. And please, don't torture the poor girl," Mrs. Redfield told them. Mr. Redfield nodded and Chris stood with alert.

"What are you showing her mom?"

"Nothing Chris, calm down!" She chuckled.

Chris turned to Sheva and grabbed her hands, "Sheva if she tries to show you my baby pictures, tell her you don't want to see them ok?"

"Yeah, Chris. Just calm down, I doubt anything she shows me will make me change my opinion about you," Sheva assured Chris.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Chris nodded, trusting her and gave her a quick kiss before sitting down at the table with his father and Ayanna.

Mrs. Redfield grabbed Sheva's hand and led her back into the house. She led her up the stairs and to a door where she stopped.

"This is old Chris' room and I just wanted to show you some things in here and talk to you where we are not in front of him," she told her then opened the door to reveal a room painted blue with dark wooden furniture and a bunch of trophies and medals hanging around on the walls along with sports posters. It looked like your typical teenage boy room, but neater.

One specific poster caught her attention and she walked over to study it. The poster was of Chris when he was in high school Sheva assumed. He didn't look too different, just a little younger and his hair was a bit longer. He also didn't have the stubble he wore today.

The poster showed Chris dressed in his football uniform with his arm on his knee holding his helmet and a determined look in his eyes. He wasn't smiling but you could tell he was happy.

"It was his senior year and he was captain of the football team. They took photos of the team every year but this picture was our favorite. We got this poster printed for his graduation and it was probably his favorite present out of all the ones he got," Mrs. Redfield explained, coming behind Sheva and observing the poster herself.

"It looks really nice," Sheva told her with a smile.

"Thank you. But enough of that!" Mrs. Redfield quickly said before plopping down on Chris' old bed, reaching under it to retrieve something. She pulled out a large photo album and patted a spot on the bed next to her. Sheva walked over and sat down next to her, eyeing the album she held.

"Alright, I know Chris made you promise not to look at his bay pictures but there are some really cute ones in here. Do you want to just take a peek? I promise I won't tell him," she promised Sheva, tapping on the hard cover.

Sheva was very tempted to nod her head and take a look at Chris' past but she knew it would be wrong to. She promised Chris she wouldn't and the last thing she wanted to do was lose Chris' trust. And besides, if he was so worried about it than she probably wouldn't want to know about it anyways.

Sheva sighed before responding, "I would honestly love to look at his pictures… but I promised him I wouldn't and I don't want to lose his trust. Maybe if I can get his permission one day but, just not today."

Mrs. Redfield smiled at her and placed the book back under the bed where she got it from. Then she sat up straight, looked right into Sheva's eyes, and grabbed both of her hands in her own.

"Sheva, you know you are the first one of his girlfriends to actually tell me you didn't want to see his baby pictures just for his feelings. You are by far the most thoughtful out of them, they didn't even think twice about his feelings when he told them not to look. They just thought about themselves and that's how I realized I didn't like them on the first day I met them."

"Wow, I didn't know that…"

"Yeah, but you are so different. Chris looks at you with so much love and trust it kills me!" She paused and they had a small laugh together.

"Did you know he calls me every day and we talk on the phone for hours just about you and your daughter? He just gushes about how much he loves you guys and how you're the 'one' and it makes me so happy to hear him say that because Chris isn't a person to fall in love and make life changing decisions so easily. But with you," she stopped to smile at Sheva then continued, "he is more confident than I have ever seen him and it is honestly scary to all of us. And it worries me sometimes because I don't want to see Chris hurt ever again but at the same time I know I shouldn't worry. You have this thing about you… I don't know what it is, but you are just an easy person to trust and like."

Sheva smiled at her small speech and felt tears coming to her eyes. She wished she came into their house with more confidence because she really had nothing to worry about. Chris' parents were warm and sweet, just like him. The world was basically shouting at her to be with Chris and dedicate herself to him but she didn't need that. That was a decision she already made by herself.

"I believe that we will get along just fine and that one day you will come back to visit us with a ring on your finger and two more children running around!" Mrs. Redfield said with her voice filled with hope and happiness.

"Aw, I honestly don't know what to say… I," Sheva began but before she ever choke out the words, voice cracked and a tear escaped her eye.

"Sweetheart, you don't have to cry," Mrs. Redfield told her as she pulled her into a hug, afraid she scared her. "I'm sorry if I was making you uncomfortable…"

Sheva wiped her tears and smiled at her, "you don't have to apologize. I'm not uncomfortable. I'm just really happy. You guys have showed me more love than Ayanna's father's parents ever showed me after all the years we were married and it just makes me so happy. I came here afraid that you guys wouldn't like me but I was completely worried for nothing."

"Oh thank goodness, I was worried I creeped you out. But Sheva, we are a really loving family. Redfield's kind of speak their minds and show emotions without second thoughts. And please don't base your opinion of us off of how Derek's parents were. I only know what Chris told me, which was Derek's name and that he is Ayanna's father and nothing else so I have no idea how he treated you or what he did that made you guys break up, Chris told me I would have to hear that from you yourself. But we are not like his family, alright? We already love you very much like you are our own and we want you to be comfortable around us like you have known us your whole life and I know it will take a while but we will get there eventually right?" Sheva nodded and hugged her tighter. She would have never guessed this is how the day would have gone but she couldn't be happier about it.

Just as the two released each other, Chris came through the open door with Ayanna in his arms. His face took on a worried expression when he saw Sheva wiping her tears away. He didn't want to think for the worse but he couldn't help himself.

"Mommy, why are you sad?" Ayanna asked just as Chris opened his mouth to say something.

Sheva stood up and finished wiping her tears before she walked over to Chris and Ayanna with a smile on her face.

"I'm not say baby, I'm really happy. People sometimes cry when they are really happy," Sheva explained as she took Ayanna out of Chris arms and gave her a kiss. She nodded her head in understanding.

"Mom what did you say to her?" Chris asked, automatically knowing his mother said something.

"I talked to her about stuff…" she answered simply. Chris raised his eyebrows expecting more but just got a shrug in return. He looked to Sheva and she just smiled at him.

"Fine I won't bug you guys about it, but dad wanted me to let you know that the food is ready. It's kind of cooler outside so we sat up out there to eat," Chris them with a sigh.

"Yay food! Let's go eat!" Sheva said excitedly and began walking out of the room and down the stairs with Ayanna to the backyard.

Mrs. Redfield got up and walked to Chris and looked him in the eyes for a few pregnant moments before smiling at him.

"What?" Chris asked, confused by her behavior.

"You have turned into such a great young man, Christopher," she told him as she placed her hand on his cheek.

He cupped his hand over hers and smiled, "thanks to you mom," he said then placed a kiss on the back of her hand. They hugged for a quick second before Chris turned his back to walk out his old room.

"Oh and Chris?" Mrs. Redfield called. He looked back at her and beckoned her to continue.

"Sheva is definitely a keeper. Don't mess up with her, she's golden."

Chris chuckled at his mother's words and responded, "I don't plan on it."

0000

A/N: So this was extra-long and had a lot of dialogue so I hope I didn't bore you with anything…

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as always and don't forget to review! Reading them makes my day!

Guest: There will be no 'boot knocking' in this story so please don't look for it. I'm sorry if this is boring you, in not quite sure what the climax of the story will be but we will get there eventually! I'm glad you enjoyed the fighting and I hope you enjoyed this chapter if you read it! Thank for giving feedback!

~Sheva Redfield


	20. Chapter 20

Friday, June 28

The group enjoyed a nice dinner sitting in the summer breeze, talking about memories and random things that Ayanna brought up. Everything was going perfectly fine until Sheva's phone began to ring.

Sheva quickly grabbed her loud vibrating phone off the table and apologized.

"I'm sorry guys," Sheva quickly stood up and excused herself inside the house.

She rolled her eyes once she saw Derek's name on her phone then answered.

"Hello?" Sheva answered with annoyance.

"Can I talk to Ayanna?" Derek asked with the same tone.

"Can I call you later? She's eating right now."

"I can't really talk to her later, that's why I'm trying now." Derek said smartly.

"Derek, I am really trying to enjoy myself and not start something so if I cannot call you later, I'll let you talk to her tomorrow," Sheva told him sternly.

"Where are you?" Derek asked accusingly.

"In a place that is none of your business," Sheva retorted.

"It is my business if my daughter is with you!"

Sheva thought for a moment and sighed with defeat. It was true, he did deserve to know who Ayanna was around even if he wasn't there. She was his daughter too.

"We were invited to dinner by… somebody," Sheva answered quietly.

"Who is somebody? Do I know them?"

"It's Claire's parents and her brother," Sheva said, not willing to give anymore information.

"Oh, is Claire there?"

"No she's not here and I'm not trying to be rude so can I just let Ayanna speak to you later and get back to my dinner please?" Sheva asked in a calmer manner, trying to persuade him to let her go. She knew it was easy to just hang up and go back to dinner but she was sure that would create more questions and drama.

Derek sighed before answering, "Alright I'll let you go, I just have one more question."

"What is it?"

"Why are you over there if you didn't go with Claire?" he asked accusingly.

Sheva pinched the bridge of her nose to prevent yelling and took a deep breath. She wasn't sure if she was willing to tell Derek about her and Chris' relationship. It's not that she was embarrassed by it or anything, she just wasn't sure how he would feel about him being around Ayanna without him knowing. Sheva decided to leave out their relationship and just tell him about Chris.

"Claire's brother Chris invited us so we came over with him now can I ple-,"

"Why did he invite you? What are you seeing him or something?!" Derek asked, raising his voice at her.

"Well I have eyes don't I, Derek?" Sheva said smartly. "I am going to hang up now and enjoy my dinner. If you want to-,"

"I'm not done talk-,"

"Well you are now. Text me if you want to talk to Ayanna later and I'll call you but I'm getting off the phone now. Goodbye."

She quickly disconnected before Derek could utter more words and insults then took a couple of deep breaths before turning back around and walking back outside to the group.

"Is everything okay, Sheva? We could kind of hear you in there…" Mrs. Redfield said.

"I'm really sorry, I was trying to be quiet but everything is fine," Sheva told them then looked to Ayanna with a small smile and told her, "Daddy might be calling you before you go to bed tonight alright? Do you want to talk to him?"

Ayanna looked down at her plate and shrugged her shoulders causing Sheva to sigh.

An awkward silence fell over the group before Mrs. Redfield cleared her throat and spoke up.

"Well, how about we clean up out here and move inside? We can play some board games!" She said in a cheerful tone.

"Alright, do you want to help me with the dishes, Shev?" Chris offered, wanting to talk to her alone for a minute.

Sheva nodded her head and went around the table, picking up the cleared plates along with Chris before following him inside the house. Mr. and Mrs. Redfield following behind with Ayanna. They stopped in the living room while Chris and Sheva continued to the kitchen and quietly began doing the dishes.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Chris asked quietly.

Sheva sighed and responded, "I guess…"

Chris raised his eyebrows waiting for her to continue but when she didn't, he wet his hand with the running water and flicked his hand causing some of it to splash Sheva.

"Chris!" She screeched and looked at Chris with wide eyes. He sheepishly smiled at her and shrugged his shoulders.

"I thought you wanted to talk about it?"

"Well could I take a minute to collect my thoughts before you soak me with water ya doof!" Sheva giggled.

Chris chuckled at her choice of name calling and nudged her in the arm, encouraging her to talk to him.

Sheva sighed once again and told Chris about her conversation with Derek.

"Oh…" Chris responded, "Well I honestly think you should tell Derek about us, I mean he is Ayanna's father after all. If I had an ex-wife and she was dating someone she allowed our child to be around would want to know who he was. And… if you want, I will talk to Derek so we can hopefully get to know each other a little bit so he is more comfortable with me being around Ayanna."

"That's really sweet of you but you don't have to, knowing Derek, he will probably say he doesn't want you to be around Ayanna even if you do make a good impression." Sheva told him, rolling her eyes.

"If Derek isn't comfortable with me being around Ayanna, you know I wouldn't be around her so often anymore, right?"

Sheva cut her eyes and him and said, "It's not his choice. I am her legal guardian. He lost his ability to make choices about what goes on with her. Not my fault he decided to do what he did." Sheva said angrily.

"Sheva, he is still her father. I refuse to be the person who ruins their relationship," Chris told her sternly.

"What are you trying to say?" Sheva asked as she raised her arms up in aggravation. She really didn't want to talk about this right now, she just wanted to enjoy herself and have fun but of course Derek had to ruin everything.

Chris sighed and calmly grabbed Sheva's hands in his own, "Shev, sweetheart, just please calm down and take a few deep breaths," he told her calmly then continued once she completed his request.

"I'm just trying to say that I don't want to be the reason Ayanna and her Derek don't have a good relationship, that's all. I love you and Ayanna more than you'll ever know but you have to understand where I'm coming from."

Sheva had tears in her eyes at this point, "Chris, it just isn't fair! He's not worried about Ayanna, he just doesn't want me to be happy. He wants me to suffer…"

"Sheva, that's not true, you know that. Yes he might want you to suffer but I don't believe that he's not worried about Ayanna," Chris paused and thought for a second, "let me put it this way. Tonight if I asked, would you let Ayanna stay the night with me and my parents here and I would only let you talk to Ayanna once for the whole night? And if you said yes and she did stay, wouldn't you be worried?"

"Well yeah…" Sheva answered quietly.

"Why?" Chris asked simply.

"Because I wouldn't know what happened after I talked to her and I didn't get to know your parents that well. I mean I trust you and them but I would still be worried. She's my little girl and if anything happened to her and I didn't know about it I…" Sheva stopped and looked up a Chris, realizing what he was doing.

Chris grinned at her and said, "Now imagine feeling like that but you didn't know me or my parents AT ALL and you were in a different continent altogether."

Sheva sighed, defeated. She fell right into his trap and as much as she hated to admit it, he was right.

"Thanks for making me feel like a terrible person Chris," Sheva said jokingly but seriously felt bad.

Chris chuckled and pulled Sheva into a loving embrace, kissing her forehead. "You are not a terrible person, alright? You just had a moment of frustration and you were being stubborn."

"I was not being stubborn!" Sheva argued but one look from Chris told her he was right once again. "Fine maybe I was but-,"

"No buts. Now we need to finish these dishes so we can enjoy the rest of the night. My parents are the best when it comes to board games and they'll cheer both you and Ayanna up right away." Chris told her then quickly pecked her on the lips before releasing her and going back to the dishes, Sheva doing the same.

Ayanna's giggles could be heard from the living room along with Spike rapidly running across the floor.

"Spike is a silly puppy huh?" Mrs. Redfield asked Ayanna.

"Yeah! Why is he chasing his tail? There's nothing on it!" Ayanna said through giggles causing the elderly Redfield's to laugh along with Chris and Sheva in the kitchen. Sheva could already feel her mood lightening up and she quickly decided she was going to enjoy the night and worry about Derek later.

Chris and Sheva quickly finished cleaning the dishes then dried their hands and working space. Once the kitchen was back to how it looked before Sheva began to head out into the living room but stopped when Chris grabbed her hand.

She turned and looked down at their joined hands before looking up at his face.

"I meant what I said about talking to Derek. I want to do it tonight before or after Ayanna talks to him. I just want to make sure that he knows who I am so he'll feel more comfortable with me being around Ayanna," Chris told her seriously. Sheva stared at him for a moment before nodding and turning around to head to the living room again.

When Chris didn't let go of her hand like she expected she looked back at him again and asked, "What's up Chris?" She wasn't mad or anything, just confused by Chris' behavior.

Before Sheva could ask him what he was planning again, Chris pulled Sheva into his arms and dipped her down as if they were dancing and gave her a passionate kiss. When the kiss ended, Sheva slowly opened her eyes and looked at Chris with tons of emotions in her eyes but confusion was the one that showed the most.

He charmingly smiled at her before saying, "You are so beautiful, you know that?"

Sheva looked at him shocked for a moment before bursting out into a fit of giggles. Now it was Chris' turn to be confused. Yeah, he was expecting a positive reaction but not this one. He quickly figured out that Spike had come into the kitchen sometime while they were kissing and he was now licking the back of Sheva's leg where she was really ticklish.

Chris chuckled and picked Sheva up and held her bridal style so Spike couldn't reach her leg anymore. Sheva's giggling calmed down and she reached her arm that wasn't around Chris' neck down to pet Spike before placing it on Chris' cheek and giving him a quick kiss.

"Thank you," Sheva thanked him, smiling.

"For getting you away from Spike or calling you beautiful?" Chris asked good humoredly.

Sheva giggled and said, "Both." Chris chuckled at this and told her you're welcome before carrying her out into the living room, Spike following slowly behind.

"Took you two long enough! We are ready to play the game now!" Mrs. Redfield joked.

"Sorry 'bout that mom, Sheva and I just had a little discussion."

"Oh, is everything okay?" She asked with concern in her voice.

"Yeah, everything is perfect," Sheva said as she dreamily looked up at Chris.

"That's my boy! Working the Redfield Charm on her!" Mrs. Redfield cheered and Ayanna joined in, not even sure what she was cheering for while Mrs. Redfield just rolled her eyes at the boys. Chris winked at her playfully causing them all to laugh.

After the laughing died down Chris gave Sheva one more kiss then plopped down on the couch with her and let her drape her legs over his own. Ayanna got jealous of all the attention her mother was receiving from Chris so she stood up, walked over to the two, sat of the opposite side of Chris, and used all her force to push Sheva's legs off of Chris' then took a seat on Chris' lap where Sheva's legs were seconds ago.

They all looked at her, shocked by her behavior and she ignored them, leaning over to grab the dice the announcing that she was going first.

"Jealous much?" Sheva asked with a chuckle, breaking the silence.

"No mommy, you had your turn to be by Mr. Chris so no it's my turn. You can go sit in my spot in you want," Ayanna told her in all seriousness.

Sheva let out a little scoff and went to go sit by Mr. and Mrs. Redfield.

"Here Sheva dear, you can put your legs on mine," Mrs. Redfield told her, patting her legs.

"Why thank you Grammie, I will do that." Sheva teased Ayanna and placed her legs on hers like she was doing to Chris before.

"Nooo!" Ayanna whined as she got up off of Chris' lap and ran to push Sheva's legs off of Mrs. Redfield's just like she did with Chris.

They all laughed at her even though Ayanna didn't think the situation was funny at all and Sheva went back over to Chris, placing her legs on his once again.

"NOO!" Ayanna basically screamed and was about to get up to move her legs again but Mrs. Redfield held her on her lap.

"You can't be in two places at once sweetie!"

"Oooh, you are just being a little jealous butt aren't you?" Sheva teased her.

"No!" Ayanna responded crossing her arms and pouting at her.

"I think she's sleepy. Didn't she miss her nap today?" Chris asked Sheva, already knowing the answer. He looked at the clock and it was already 7:30.

"She sure did. Are you sleepy?" Sheva asked, rising up from the chair and walking over to get Ayanna.

Ayanna shook her head quickly, trying to be convincing that she wasn't tired. "I think you are sleepy."

"NO I'M NOT!" Ayanna said then began to cry into her hands.

"Aww, don't cry!" Mr. Redfield said, patting Ayanna on the back.

"Don't worry guys, she's not sad or anything. She does this when she's really tired. She just wants to stay up and play the game with us but she knows she won't be able to and it's frustrating to her..." Sheva told them, picking up her crying toddler and walking around, shushing and rocking her. Ayanna cried in her shoulder, not arguing anymore. She knew she was tired and that she wanted to stay up but she knew she wouldn't be able to so she gave in and accepted the fact that she would have to go to go to sleep.

"Aww, poor baby! If she needs to go to sleep, she can lay down in the guest room. It's right down the hall and we can leave the door open for her. Did you bring anything for her to change in to?" Mrs. Redfield asked.

"Yeah, I have some pajamas for her in my purse. I expected this to happen," Sheva told her as she reached into her purse to pull out a pink pajama onesie for Ayanna along with one of her stuffed animals. Yeah it was the summer but inside the house it was kind of chilly so the onesie was suitable for now.

"Alright, I'm gonna go change her and get her settled down," Sheva announced then looked down at Ayanna and asked her, "Do you want to give them kissies before you go night night?"

Ayanna wiped her eyes and nodded, still letting out a small sob every now and them. Sheva put Ayanna down and she ran over to Chris and they told each other goodnight before Chris kissed her forehead and gave her a hug. Then she went over to Mr. and Mrs. Redfield and did the same with them.

Sheva smiled when they both kissed her cheeks and hugged her tight. They really did look like they were meant to be her grandparents. Ayanna then walked back over to Sheva and raised her arms up to be picked up and when she was she rested on her mother, slightly dosing off. Then she jolted up and looked down remembering Spike was there too. She tried to reach down for him and began to cry again when Sheva wouldn't put her back down.

"It's okay, sweet pea. Spike can sleep with you," Mr. Redfield told Ayanna then looked to Sheva, "He can get on the bed with her if it will make her feel better."

Sheva nodded and thanked him before calling Spike to follow her to the guestroom. Spike got up from his spot and followed Sheva down the dark hallway and the three of the disappeared into the bedroom.

"Poor baby… It makes me so sad that she's that upset that she has to go to bed. She really wanted to stay up with us," Mrs. Redfield said with a sad look on her face.

"I know, me too but if she didn't get sleep now, she would have been fussier and we do not want that. You haven't heard her have a full on temper tantrum… I don't even think I have but I bed she could break a glass with crying of hers," Chris said with a chuckle.

0000

Meanwhile in the guestroom, Sheva was walking back and forth, rocking Ayanna to sleep. She had settled down a bit, her crying had stopped and Sheva was certain that within a few minutes, Ayanna would be fast asleep.

Usually Sheva wouldn't rock her to sleep but on some occasions she though it was okay to. She didn't want to baby Ayanna but she also knew that she was sensitive so she was moving at a slower pace with her. It's not like she minded anyway. She actually enjoyed rocking Ayanna to sleep, it reminded her of when she was a baby and how much she wanted to have another baby.

She smiled to herself as she thought about what Mrs. Redfield told her just hours before.

"… _one day you will come back to visit us with a ring on your finger and two more children running around!"_

She looked down at Ayanna and smiled at her peaceful face. She kissed her nose and let out a small chuckle when Ayanna smiled a bit in her sleep.

Yeah, she hoped she would have two more children running around too. It would be a dream come true to have the perfect family with Chris.

Hopefully she could turn that perfect dream into a perfect reality.

0000

A/N: I'm alive! Can you believe it! Haha, I'm kidding but I am so very sorry for the long wait guys. My teachers decided to give us projects all at the same time! It was a lot of work but I got it done! Ugh, you guys don't understand how much I missed writing even though it's only been a month. I have terrible writers block right now but I tried to do my best in this chapter so excuse all the mistakes and if this seems like one of the lower quality chapters…

Anyway… thank you reading and for the ones who have hung on with me! I can't promise this will be the last time this happens, it most likely won't but I am going to try my hardest to update as often as I can for you guys! Thank you for the love and support! It means a lot!

wolfsprirtqueen: Aw, thank you! I try! Haha. I know right! CREVA4EVA! Haha, I'll stop now. But thank you for the review and sorry for the long wait but I hope you enjoyed!

~Sheva Redfield


	21. Chapter 21

Friday, June 28

Once Ayanna was asleep, Sheva laid her down in the bed and tucked her and Spike in, giving them both kisses. Spike quickly closed his eyes and welcomed sleep once he was all snuggled up with Ayanna. Sheva smiled at the two then quietly tip toed to the door, closing it a little but not all the way so that light shined through from the living room.

Sheva did a raise the roof motion as she walked back to the living room causing the Redfield's to laugh.

"I'm glad you could get her to sleep, poor baby must have been exhausted," Mrs. Redfield stated with a sigh.

"Yeah, she was. She went to sleep in my arms like a little baby. It reminded me of when she was little and I used to sing her to sleep. Ugh, I miss those days," Sheva chuckled as she sat down by Chris, placing her legs on top of his like earlier.

"Well if you guys' relationship goes as planned, you will get married this year and have a baby by the next!"

"Mom! We said we weren't going to talk about that! Don't make her cry again," Chris said well humoredly earning a smack on the arm from Sheva.

"I would love to cry like that! It's a good happy cry. You should try it once in a while," Sheva playfully recommended.

"Yeah… well if you give me something to be that happy about then I will not hesitate to cry," Chris informed her.

"I highly doubt that, Chris. You express the emotions of a rock," Sheva joked, squeezing Chris' cheek causing him to roll his eyes.

"And you express the emotions of… a… oh! A robot that was made to teach children emotions!" Chris said as a comeback, proud of his answer.

Sheva and his parents just looked at him confused before his dad reached under the couch, grabbing a book then tossing it over to Chris.

Chris read the title of the book out loud, "The Big Book of Comebacks for Losers Who Can't Make Their Own…" he then gave his father a cold look that could give someone frost bite causing him to almost fall off the couch, laughing. Soon his mother and Sheva joined in on the laughing, Chris giving them their own cold stares just like his father.

"I knew it would come in handy! I've had that for years! It's been sitting here the whole time and it was worth the $20 dollars, I tell you!" Mr. Redfield laughed harder along with Mrs. Redfield and Sheva.

"Hey you guys seriously need to keep it down before Ayanna wakes up and comes to beat you guys with a stick," Chris said in all seriousness. The 3 silenced their laughter, remembering that Ayanna was sleeping in the other room.

"Chris my daughter doesn't beat people with sticks when they wake her up, she just gives them the most evil, tired look and she will get up and go to a different room to sleep if you bother her too long," Sheva informed Chris, wiping a tear away caused by all the laughing she did a minute ago.

"Well that sounds worse than being beat with a stick," Mrs. Redfield joked.

"It really is though, my mom called me once when she was watching her and told me she thought she was going to attack her from the look she was giving her," Sheva told them causing their eyes to widen with shock. "Yeah…" Sheva said after seeing their expressions, "but I promise you she only does it when she really really tired so that's why I just leave her alone unless I have to wake her."

"Now I'm really scared to speak," Mr. Redfield said in a whisper, truly scared to see the face of a tired, irritated Ayanna.

"I mean, the first time it's really terrifying but after that time, I just looked at her the same way and she went back to bed and I left the room," Sheva told him with a small chuckle.

"See I was going to offer to watch her but now I'm too scared to," Mrs. Redfield joked.

"Well, she already loves you guys like her own grandparents so I know she'd love to stay here a night with you guys. If you ever want to see her you can get my address from Chris or you can just call me and I'll drop her off."

"We would love that but we don't want to take her away from you. We don't want you to be bored or anything while she's over here," Mr. Redfield told her, concern in her voice.

"Well you guys can actually watch her the next time Sheva and I go on a date. We still never saw that movie and I still have that gift card thing. Oh! We could go tomorrow night," Chris said, thinking out loud.

"Is that your way of asking me on a date?" Sheva asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Ooooh…" Mrs. Redfield murmured quietly.

"Oh I'm sorry, let me try again," Chris said then stood up, holding Sheva bridal style and began rocking her back and forth dramatically.

"Oh Sheva my love, my one and only, would you do me the honors and allow me to take you on our second date?" Chris stopped rocking her and looked down at her laughing face with raised eyebrows, waiting for to stop laughing and an answer.

Once she calmed herself down, she reached up to caress Chris' cheek and nodded her head, "Yes, I'd love to go on a second date with you."

"She said yes! She said yes! Mom did you get it on camera?" Chris asked, looking at his mother who had pulled out her phone sometime while Chris was rocking Sheva.

"Yep, I got it all. That's one for Facebook," she chuckled then said, "while you guys are up there and looking cute, let me get a picture so I can show everybody at work my sons beautiful girlfriend!"

"Awww, you make me feel so special!" Sheva said, her cheeks turning a deep shade of red at the compliment.

"You are special my dear. Now both of you guys give me big smiles!" She said and positioned her phone to take the picture. Chris and Sheva both cheesed at the camera, you would never guess they met less than a week ago they looked so happy and comfortable with each other. Mrs. Redfield snapped the picture and put her phone down with a big smile, obviously pleased with the picture.

"You guys are too cute together… I'm gonna have to get one with Ayanna. You guys should take family pictures!" she told them, excited about the idea of hanging their pictures on the walls.

"Goodness Cadee! Plan their wedding why don't you!" Mr. Redfield joked to his wife.

"Is that an option?" Cadee joked back.

"You have a very pretty name Mrs. Redfield," Sheva complimented her, always appreciating a unique name.

"Thank you my dear!" Cadee thanked her with a big smile.

"My dad has a unique name too, don't you dad?" Chris asked as he plopped back down in his spot with Sheva.

"Sure do, are you ready to hear the most amazing name in the world Sheva?" he asked, repositioning himself on the couch for exaggeration.

"I hope so," Sheva giggled. Cadee just rolled her eyes playfully.

"My name is….. Christopher! I know that's Chris' name too but we call him Chris and me Christopher so no one gets confused," he said then waited for her reaction.

"…Oh that's nice," Sheva said slowly, trying to be nice and not ruin his excitement, obviously not seeing past the joke because of his amazing acting of excitement.

Chris looked as red as a rose from trying not to laugh and so did both his parents. Cadee gave in first and burst out into loud laughter, both boys joining seconds after.

Sheva realized why they were laughing and punched Chris in the arm with a pout and said, "You guys are so mean!" with a smile of her face.

"We did it out of love, we promise!" Cadee said through more laughter. They continued laughing until Chris quickly hushed them, claiming he heard something. They quickly quieted down and all listened.

Quiet sobbing could be coming from the guest room and Sheva sighed, knowing that they had woken Ayanna up.

"I'll go get her," Sheva said and began to get up but stopped in her movements when Cadee told her she would do it. Sheva thanked her with a nod and relaxed back down on the chair with Chris.

Cadee got up and headed to the guest room, cracking the door a bit before turning on the light and walking in. She came out seconds later with an upset Ayanna in her arms and Spike following behind them.

"I'm sorry we woke you up baby," Cadee whispered to Ayanna before kissing her forehead and taking her seat back on the sofa. She repositioned herself and Ayanna to where they were both more comfortable before rocking Ayanna and patting her back to relax her. Ayanna whined in protest, thinking since she woke up she could play with them but that idea was quickly fading, and the rocking making her tired all over again.

Within a few minutes of rocking and Sheva silently snapping pictures of the two, Ayanna was once again peacefully sleeping. Spike found comfort in that and found a spot on the floor next to them and closed his eyes. Even Sheva found herself getting tired and leaned on Chris' shoulder also welcoming sleep.

Christopher mouthed something about them going home so they could all get some sleep and Chris mouthed back something about letting Sheva fall asleep first, then he would just carry her to the car and let her sleep the way back to the her house. Christopher nodded in understanding.

The Redfield's all started a quiet conversations about their plans for tomorrow while Chris rubbed Sheva's back, helping her fall asleep while Cadee continued to rock Ayanna.

A few minutes later, Sheva was fast asleep and Chris nodded to his parents telling them he was ready to take them to the car. They both nodded back and Cadee stood with Ayanna, Chris slowly eased out of the seat, being sure not to wake Sheva and stood up with her in his arms, and finally Christopher tried to wake Spike up and succeeded but Spike being stubborn wouldn't get up so in the end, Christopher picked Spike up.

Cadee opened the front door, holding the smallest of the three being carried so it was easier for her and held it open, letting the two males pass by before the car was unlocked by Chris. Doors were opened and the three gently placed the ones they were holding in the car, being sure not to wake them up. Christopher went back in to get Sheva's purse and anything else they could have left.

"Aw, they look so peaceful…" Cadee whispered to Chris as they stood off to the side of the car.

"Yeah, my little peaceful family," he replied with a chuckle.

Cadee smiled happily at his response before standing on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek and he returned the kiss before pulling his mom into a hug.

"Thank you for being so welcoming and open to this whole situation mom," Chris thanked her while they were still in the embrace.

"You're welcome. Thank you for making the right choice by picking a real woman. I was a little worried when you told me you just met her and she had a daughter but once I met her and got to know her a bit, I knew I had nothing to worry about. She's really special Chris, you better treat her right cause you don't meet too many people like her in a lifetime."

"I will mom, don't worry. I know she's special and my goal in life is to make this work with her and to keep them happy," Chris told her before giving her another kiss on the cheek and releasing her.

"I honestly can't wait for you guys to get married and have more children, she make's beautiful babies and I don't think it's possible for the Redfield genes to ruin that," she said then chuckled before continuing, "but I'm proud of you and I wish you guys the best of luck in your relationship!"

"Thanks mom," Chris thanked her with a sheepish smile. He loved how excited his mom was about Sheva and Ayanna but the future with them scared him. Yeah, he was excited but he never thought of having a future with any of his other girlfriends so now that he had to think about it, it scared him. Cadee saw the nervousness of her sons face and put a hand on his cheek and gave him a reassuring smile. No words had to be said between them because he already knew what she meant. He gave her a smile of his own before she let her hand fall down.

Cadee then turned to the car and walked over to the open door where Ayanna was sleeping in her car seat before brushing some messy hair out of her face with a chuckle and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Good night my little love, see you soon," she whispered to her before moving over to the passenger seat. She looked at Sheva with a smile before giving her a kiss on the cheek as well.

"Goodnight my soon to be daughter in law," she whispered to her and quietly chuckled when Sheva smiled in her sleep. She finished with walking over to where Spike lay wide awake and ruffled up his fur before giving him a kiss on the tip of his nose.

Christopher came out the house and handed Chris Sheva's purse and phone before giving him a hug and kiss on the forehead. He then went around and did the same as his wife did minutes earlier. The family said their final goodbyes then Chris got in the car and began to drive off, waving to his parents who were standing at the front door together waving back to him. Then he drove off, making his way back to Sheva's house.

0000

Chris pulled into the driveway of Sheva's house and parked the car with a sigh. He was debating on waking Sheva up or carrying her and Ayanna in to let them sleep. He knew Sheva would want to change and take her makeup off but as he looked to his left at her, she looked so peaceful that he didn't want to wake her from that. He quickly decided he would carry the both of them in. Chris looked back at Spike and told him to follow him before exiting the vehicle and making his way around to the side the girls were on. Spike jumped out of the car and stood by Chris, watching his every move.

It took Chris a minute to pick both of the girls up and close the doors but he did it. He walked up to the front door and managed to pull Sheva's key out to unlock the door. He then walked in and placed both girls on the couch before walking back over to the door to close and lock it along with his own car just to be safe. Then he picked Ayanna up off the couch and proceeded to carry her to her room and tuck her in bed next to Mr. Sniffles who was still where they left him. Spike followed him the whole way there and laid down on the floor right next to Ayanna's bed. He leaned down to kiss her forehead and once he raised himself back up, Ayanna was awake and looking at him through tired eyes.

"Hey Princess, you can go back to sleep," Chris told her quietly. Ayanna looked around the room confused then pouted when she realized she was in her own room.

"Are your mommy and daddy here?" Ayanna asked hopefully.

"No… they stayed at their house. I had to bring you guys home because you were getting sleepy and we didn't want to wake you up again. And your mommy fell asleep too," Chris explained as he crouched down so he wasn't hovering over her anymore and waited for her response.

"But why couldn't we stay over there?" Ayanna asked, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Because we didn't have any clothes to wear to sleep like you did."

Ayanna sat up and poked her bottom lip out, upset at his answer. She wanted to spend more time over there, she liked his parents.

"I miss them…" Ayanna cried out and began sobbing into her hands. When she's tired, she will cry about anything and that was a mental note Chris kept in his head.

"I know you do and they miss you too but you will see them tomorrow night so don't cry, okay? You'll see them soon," Chris told her as he wiped her tears away. She sat in silence, debating on if she believed what he was saying or not.

"Okay…" she said quietly and laid back down.

"I'm gonna go put your mommy in bed then I'm gonna go home okay?"

"Okay… goodnight daddy," Ayanna said and closed her eyes, ready to go back to sleep.

Chris froze in his spot, his eyes wide. She just called him daddy… that's the last thing he wanted right now, especially when Sheva wasn't there to hear it. He knew he had to tell her but he wasn't sure how to bring it up. Chris quickly shook it off and got up to give Ayanna another kiss on the forehead before telling her goodnight. He quickly turned on her nightlight and left the room, leaving her door open a crack.

He made his way downstairs and gave a loud sigh and smacked his hands on his forehead. His heart was beating so fast and his hands were getting clammy against his skin. He should have told her not to call him that when it happened so she would know it wasn't okay but how was he supposed to? It was like telling her that Santa didn't exist, it would crush her! Chris was so confused and lost in his own worrying thoughts that he didn't notice Sheva had woken up and was adjusting herself on the couch.

"Did you carry me in here?" Sheva asked with a small smile on her face as she stood up from the couch and came around to hug him from behind.

He chuckled and placed his hands over hers that couldn't even connect with each other around him.

"Sure did, you and Ayanna at the same time."

"Yeah, her crying woke me up but I trusted you to deal with it and you did. It's amazing how much she trusts you… how much I trust you. I usually don't fall asleep around people unless I trust them completely, especially when Ayanna is with me," Sheva explained, oblivious to the extra weight of doubt she was putting on his shoulders.

"Yeah…" Chris said with uneasiness in his voice that he tried to cover up and to his surprise it worked because Sheva chuckled and slipped away from behind him causing him to let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Chris take a seat with me," Sheva said and patted the cushion on the sofa next to her. Chris nervously walked over to the sofa and took and seat, looking as stiff as a board.

"So you know that I can figure people out easily right?"

"No…"

"Well I can and I'd really appreciate if you told me why you look like you are going to start a flood from your sweat in my living room? I know it's not hot in here so don't even try that."

Chris sighed, he thought he hid it pretty well but he was oh so wrong.

"Promise me you won't be mad at me because I didn't even do anything to me her say it or anything it just kind of happened…" Chris told her quickly.

Sheva looked at him for a moment before responding, "I'm not making any promises because I can't guarantee how I am going to feel about something I don't know about."

Chris sighed and though of the easiest way he could say it but nothing came to mind so he was just blunt about it.

"Ayanna called me daddy," he told her quickly and smacked his lips together, waiting for her response.

She didn't show any surprise, she seemed like she was expecting it. Sheva sighed and leaned back, placing her hands over her eyes.

"I'm sorry Chris. I told her before not to call you that but I guess she forgot. I don't know it could be because she's tired or something but I promise I will talk to her about it tomorrow when she wakes up. I'm just really sorry… I don't know what else to say…" Sheva apologized.

"It's fine Shev, really. You're probably right, she's just sleepy and had a brain fart. But this just adds on to why I need to talk to Derek as soon as possible and by that I mean tomorrow morning before our date. I can't keep being this close to Ayanna without her father having any clue, it's just not right, Sheva. I know it and you know it too," Chris explained to her, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze.

To Chris' surprise Sheva yanked her hand away from his and stood up from the couch, making her way to the kitchen. Chris sighed and got up to follow her but kept his distance. He stood at the door frame and watched as she reached for a cup out of the cabinet and placed it under the water dispenser, waiting for it to fill up.

"What are you thinking, Shev?" he asked calmly.

"Nothing." Sheva responded coldly and brought the glass of water to her lips.

"You are thinking something that you need to tell me because you are obviously not happy right now."

"I'm fine Chris, I just wanted some water," Sheva told him with the shrug of her shoulders.

"Okay, I get that. But you didn't need to snatch you hand away from mine like that to get some water," Chris told her slowly.

Sheva slammed her cup down on the counter causing water to fly out and Chris to jump then pinched the bridge of her nose, taking deep breaths. She didn't want to talk about Derek right now… or ever. Everything was perfectly fine until he mentioned him. She could deal with the daddy situation herself. She didn't need Derek's approval because he obviously didn't need hers when he was cheating.

"Shev, don't be like that. You need to talk about it to me. I know you and Derek aren't on good terms right now but you have to understand where I'm coming from. We just had this discussion earlier and everything was perfectly fine and now you're upset about it again. What happened between then and now that changed your mind?" Chris asked, not trying to let his frustration show through but it was getting quite tough.

"We were at your parents' house! Did you expect me to just argue with you about it right there in the kitchen? Cause that would be a pretty good first impression…" Sheva scoffed, not even trying to hide her anger. She was so frustrated and tired of hiding it and acting like everything was okay because it wasn't. She had no one else to take it out on and she knew deep down that taking it out on Chris was wrong but it seemed so right at the moment.

"Would you really want someone to have a say on who you dated after you divorced them because they cheated?! Would you? Oh wait of course you would because you have never been through what I had to go through! It's so easy for you to say all this stuff that you do because you have no idea of the pain I have bottled up inside of me, Chris! No idea! You have no idea how many times I have had to lock myself in the bathroom and turn the shower on just to cry so he wouldn't hear me! So Ayanna wouldn't hear me! I'm tired of pretending to be happy when I'm not! I just want to cry but I can't because Ayanna doesn't need to see me be weak. I have no time to just let my emotions out, they have been bottled up for years!" Chris listened to her rant on with no expression on his face.

After she had calmed herself down and taken a few deep breaths, he walked up to her and lifted her chin up so she could look him in the eye and told her simply, "then let your emotions out. You are free to do that when you are with me, I won't judge you. So just cry right now, tomorrow when we drop Ayanna off for our date, you can yell, scream, I'll even take you to a shooting range if you promise not to shoot me. Whenever you need to express yourself, do it. You will not hurt my feelings at all. The only way you could ever really hurt my feelings is to tell me that I don't love you or that I am a selfish person. Other than that you can say anything you want to me. We can even role play and I'll be Derek. Hit me, punch me, I don't care. In my career field, being punched by you would be the best thing in the world," he grinned then reached over to grab her cup and then grabbed her hand, leading her to the living room. They both sat on the couch and Chris sat a pillow on his lap and laid Sheva's head down on it.

"Go ahead and cry if you want to now, it's okay. I'm here to comfort you and talk to you through this, alright? It's going to hurt me to see you cry but not as much as it hurts me to know that you're holding all of those feelings inside and not getting a release," Chris told her which brought tears to her eyes, she was about to cover her face but Chris stopped her and gave her a smile reminding her that it was okay to cry.

And she did. She cried for about an hour and Chris was there the whole time, comforting her and telling her how much he loved her and how he was there for her whenever she needed him. He also made sure to keep her hydrated, every ten minutes telling her to drink some water.

He was so sweet and loving, and as Sheva laid there crying her eyes out and complaining to him about all her problems and concerns, she wondered how she could ever deserve a guy like him? Well, how anyone could?

Who knows, maybe she just got lucky.

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A/N: Woo Hoo! Another chapter! Schools almost out and you know what that equals! Wait, I don't know myself, let me figure that out real quick!

No school means writing time2 + no homework/summer activities which takes up 60.68308381111111% of summer time-time I decide not to do any activities which is 3.738597% which=…

Ah forget it, you know what I mean! Haha, just trying to add some humor after that sad little bit. But I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and thank you for continuing to read even with my long delays!

wolfspiritqueen: Yeah, at least until they got to Sheva's house… haha. It's not only Sheva smiling! Haha. Thank you and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! So sorry for the long wait! Have a great day!

NappaRules: Thank you, I was trying to get different perspectives of the situation and I was kind of glad with how Chris' turned out also! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and sorry for the long wait! Have a great day!

~Sheva Redfield


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